Always keep on smiling
by Appeltje Fruitschaal
Summary: Rose seemed to be the picture of happiness. A huge family who loved her, Great friends, Prefect, Top student, always helping everybody else, having no troubles herself and always in for a party or joke. But if you dug just a little deeper, this image of her would shatter in a thousand pieces. Scorpius is entranced by her, needing to find out what she kept hidden behind her eyes.
1. Going back

_Okay, just saying now, This will not be a very happy fic. I mean, I think it will be somewhat happy in between, But I don't believe in Fairy tales. I just thought, why not? No one else has done it (for as far as my knowledge reaches) like me. With that off of my chest, I thought about centring this fic on Rose, because, god I am going to mess her up bad. But most of Rowlings characters of the next generation will come in it and will have their own story. ... But not to worry, I will try to keep most of the fic reasonable light and write it with humour... for as far as I can be funny (I must confess, I do not think I can)_

_I do not claim to own anything of the wonderful world of Harry potter._

_I present to you, always keep on Smiling:_

Rose looked at her trunk and it's contents with a mournful expression.  
She wondered when the things she smuggled into Hogwarts for her cousins had changed from the inventory of Weasley Wizard Wheezes, to alcoholic drinks and even, to her great astonishment, a water pipe with what she hoped was Tabaco.

Maybe last year? last Easter? She didn't know, nor did she want to.

Footsteps in the hallway shook her out of her thoughts and Rose quickly threw a pile of clothes over her secret load. If her mother found out, she would not be pleased.

Like common courtesy expected, a quick knock on the door proceeded the opening of the door, but Hermione didn't wait for an answer and swung the door open before Rose could tell her to go away.

"Rose, honey, can you find everything?" She asked from the door opening. Rose clenched her fist at the sad undertone in her mother's voice, which was almost permanent in the presence of Rose these days.

"Yes mum. I'm fine. What do you need?" She asked, turning around and rubbing her eyes, giving the appearance of being sleepy and hoping Hermione wasn't going to say what she thought she was.

Hermione sighed. "I know I promised I would spent today with you and Hugo but the office called..."

"Go, I'll look after Hugo." Rose said, now truly tired. She couldn't say she was surprised, or even disappointed, no matter how much she wanted to. Her mother was always working these days.

"Thank you, Honey. He comes home in three hours."

"Two mum. He comes home in two hours. Now go, before they screw everything up without you." Hermione smiled weakly and the sad undertone of her voice had evolved into a sad look in her eyes. Rose mentally cursed herself as Hermione turned around and left to work without saying a word. Rose knew what she was thinking. Even after more than a year, one long accursed year, Rose still wasn't able to watch how she acted around her mother, it was hard to turn your entire personality around.

It was awful to see her mother relive some moment of the past only because she said a curse word, or because she had made a mess of her room again and didn't want to clean it up. She became so sad around Rose. It was horrible.

It was even worse than the fact that she always worked.

Rose sighed and turned back to her half full trunk with a resigned expression.

She began folding her clothes and put them away neatly, determent not to upset her mother again and looking over at the clock every few minutes, hoping that it was time for Hugo to come and put her out of her misery.

She ran out of clothes before time though, and now began putting half a library of books away in her trunk, followed by quills, parchment, ink, potion ingredients, a bag pack and a fair amount of useless stuff like magazines, candy and a sketchbook she enjoyed killing time with.  
Finally it was One am. Rose jumped up, took one last look at her trunk (almost completely packed) before sprinting to the living room. She was just in time to see green flames erupt from the fireplace and Hugo stumbling out of them.

His auburn hair was messy and he was covered in dust, two bags at his sides.. He coughed a few times, rubbed his eyes, then looked around.

His face fell slightly.

"They needed her at the office." Rose said, when Hugo turned to her. He nodded and tried to dust his clothes off. Rose approached him and took one of his bags. "How was your little weekend away?" Rose asked cheerfully, trying to distract them both from their depressing thoughts.

Hugo followed Rose with the other bag. "It was really nice." He said without intonation.

"What did you do?"

"We went sailing." Hugo said in the same tone. If Rose didn't know better, she would have said that he was bored.

She entered his room and threw the bag on his bed before sitting on the floor with her back against the wall.

"Look, I know you are disappointed that mum isn't home, but it was an emergency." She lied, trying to make him feel better.

"No, it wasn't." Hugo countered, opening his bag and pouring the contents into a laundry basket. Rose looked around the room, the quidditch posters of Pudlemore united smiled and winked back at her. Before, his room had been postered with Chudley Cannon posters, but they had been taken down. In the corner of his room, Hugo's trunk stood, open and already packed.

"She really missed you though. All weekend." Rose said, standing up and taking the basket under her arm.

"Any more laundry?" She asked, holding the basket in front of Hugo's face. He shook his head and bit his lip. "How do you know? I don't think she spent much time here."

Rose smiled at her little brother and messed up his hair with her hand, little clouds of dust flew up at the touch.

"I saw it in her eyes when she was, Hugo. And she will be home for dinner tonight, you can tell her then how you might be excepted into alchemy, and how sailing went."

Then she turned around and went off to wash Hugo's laundry. How he managed to dirty so many clothes in just one weekend was beyond her.

Thoughts about her little brother swirling through her head.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Al was looking at his brother with a hopeful expression. James was looking back with an amused smirk, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"You, you want me to help you to play a prank on someone?" James broke the silence that was hanging in Al's room. Al nodded eagerly. His head bobbing up and down like his neck was a spiral spring.

"Why?" James drawled. "I never got the impression you enjoyed or appreciated my brilliant work."

Al rolled his eyes but the excitement in his face didn't diminish.

"I acknowledge your skills." He said. "Will you do it?" His bright eyes sparkled and James chuckled.

"Sure, why not. Who is the poor fellow to have earned your wrath, oh dear brother?" Al didn't, or pretended not to, notice the mocking tone in James voice and a gleeful smile appeared on his face.

"Terrince Noutosh."

James frowned, the name was vaguely familiar but he couldn't think of where he knew him from.

"Why?" This sounded better than 'who?'

"He dated Rose back in fourth year for a little while, and apparently he asked Lily out! After he dumped Rose." Al said in disgust. So that was where James had heard the name before.

"Plus, he is an extreme git." Al added after thinking for a moment. James smiled evilly.

"No git touches our little sister." He said formally, shaking Al's hand to seal their newfound cooperation.

~~~~O.0~~~~

A soft whistle disturbed the silence in the peaceful and content quiet of Shell cottage. The soft noise of waves breaking on the rocks answered it from outside and a soft breeze swept inside, bringing the salty sent of the sea with it.

Dominique deeply inhaled, half hanging out her window and looking out over their backyard and the sea. She loved living by the sea, it always gave her a sense of security and cleared her mind of even the worst doubts and questions.

She softly whistled on, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight reflected on the sea.

"_Dom_" She heard her younger brother yell from another room. She turned away from the window. "_Yes, Louis?_"

"_Mum said Victoire is coming today, so I'm going to a friend. Good luck with miss crazy_."

Dom groaned. Not this again. Her o so loved brother had ditched her all summer long and left her to the mercy of their pregnant sister. Not that she blamed him, she would do the same. Spending time with Victoire had become a living hell because of her pregnancy. She was one word away of bursting out in tears, or yells, _all_ the time.

Dom went to her brothers room to see him standing there with a satisfied look on his face. Dom might have inherited most of their fathers looks, Louis had inherited most of his personality.

"_How did you even know that?_" Dom demanded. "_Mum told me yesterday when I helped her cook_." Dom cursed softly under her breath. She should have known something was up with that. Louis hated cooking. She had been too busy worrying about the fact that tomorrow her last year of Hogwarts started.

"_You little traitor_." Dom said with a scowl. "_how can you leave me alone? Mum and dad-_ "

"_Fled as well_." Louis rubbed the back of his neck, slightly ruffling his silver blond hair. He was the only one who got that particular trait from their mother.

"_And who can blame them? I've had six nearly death experiences in the short time I spent with her. _Six."

"_You told her she looked fat_." Dom said, rolling her eyes.

"_She was the one who asked, and she did. She _does." He gestured widely with his hands.

"_Okay, maybe it's better that you're not here._" Dom said, shaking her head at the lack of tact her brother was displaying. She might be killed along with him.

"_My thoughts exactly, so I'll just flee- I mean leave now, before the devil comes._"

Dom laughed and threw a pillow at his head. "_Don't call her that, Louis. Normally she's sweet._"

Louis gave her a look. "_Most of the time. I really hope this thingy- "_

"_Baby."_

"_Is worth all this trouble." _This exact thought had emerged in Dom's own thoughts. She was ill willed towards her little niece or nephew before he/she was even born. He better be darn cute.

~~~~O.0~~~~

"You know what troubles me the most?" The kitchen door opened with a loud bang and Rose almost dropped the heavy pan she was holding. She hadn't expected Hugo to crack this soon. Normally he would brood a few days before coming to her with what was bothering him.

"What?" Rose asked, quickly heaving the pan on the counter.

"That this is the last day of summer, and here you are cooking dinner like every other day of the holiday."

"I like to cook. I don't mind." Rose turned to Hugo, willing him to word what he meant. She knew what was bothering him, but she hadn't ever dared to phrase it, nor had he.

"She hasn't cooked once since we came home. It has been nine weeks, Rose. Nine weeks and she hasn't cooked once."

Rose smiled weakly and started chopping vegetables. "I know Hugo. I just don't see what we can do about it."

Hugo slumped a bit. "Why did we lose them both Rose?" The knife slipped out of Rose's hand at his words and she turned to him, speechless. His eyes sparkled but she saw no tears.

He had said it. He had voiced the thought they had both been thinking all holiday, all year.

"It isn't fair." Hugo looked down at his feet and clenched his fists. "Life isn't fair." Rose found herself saying and stepped to him. He was almost a head taller than her.

"Hugo, it'll be fine." Rose said, talking his hand and squeezing it. He shook his head.

"I'm going to bed. I'm tired and I need to clear my head." He stalked out of the kitchen and Rose could mark his progress through the house by the slamming doors.

Anger welled up inside her but she quickly quenched it. Her mother wasn't to blame in all this. It had just been… hard for her.

But Rose couldn't stop blaming Hermione, and the anger didn't really help either. It was her that was at the root of Hugo's misery. He was only fifteen for crying out loud! He needed his mother. He had been eleven when she started her obsession over work. He had seen far too little of their mother in the last few years, and Rose had to admit that she had trouble with it too, sometimes, but she could manage. She was sixteen. Old enough to look after herself.

She just wanted her mother to at least realise this, and not act so oblivious. To see what she was doing to Hugo.

Rose had tried to already, but somehow it always ended with both of them shouting at each other, with ringing ears and sore throats as side effects. Hermione still didn't see it.

Rose sighed and put the spaghetti away. Just a quick pizza in the oven would do if she was only going to cook for herself, and maybe Hermione.

A few minutes later she was lying on the couch looking at the ceiling. She missed the stone ceilings at Hogwarts so much. She had never realised that it was possible to get homesick when you were in your house, but here she was, at her parental house, wishing she was at Hogwarts.

She wasn't home here. They had moved away from home a year ago. Now the only home she knew was Hogwarts.

Did anyone else feel like that?

~~~~O.0~~~~

Scorpius lay on his stomach, counting down the seconds until his mother called him for supper.

_Two hundred sixty-nine…_

His aunt and uncle came over today with their son so everything had to be even more perfect than normal, so that meant that he had to come down at the perfect time in the perfect robes and the perfect manners.

He felt nothing for it.

_Two hundred sixty._

He had run out of choirs to do. He was all set and packed for Hogwarts, he had cleaned his room, he had helped his mother pick out her dress and he had politely asked his father if there was anything he could do.

Of course not. They had house elves for that. Or other, 'lower staff' like his father called them.

No wonder he counted down the days he spent here. He counted down every second he had to spend in this prison.

_Two hundred thirty-eight. _

They scared him. The people who lived with him. His father and mother.

He didn't know them. They were like strangers to him, only less real. Strangers gave him the feeling that there were whole stories behind them and he couldn't help but try and discover them.

His parents though…

_Two hundred and nineteen._

They had their story. Scorpius had no desire to find out about it though.

You didn't

_Two hundred and thirteen._

Ask questions to his father. Scorpius learned that at a very early age. His curiosity had stopped there. He knew most about his father's past. There was plenty enough gossip at Hogwarts to inform him. He didn't need to know anymore, this was horrible enough. Your own father being a

_One hundred ninety-nine._

Deatheater wasn't something that made you want to know more about him. maybe it was better this way. Maybe it was better that

_One hundred ninety-two._

He was always distant. Maybe that was the reason Scorpius wasn't anything like his father. It seemed to him at times that the only thing he shared with his father, were looks. The same pointy noise, slender built and white blond hair. It stopped there. From the inside, they were as different as could be.

His father was bitter, from the core of him being, everyone with the slightest ounce of brains could see that about him.

_One hundred seventy._

Every action he took was planned, backstabbing and fierce, like he was trying to punish the word for what it had done to him. Every smile around Draco, withered once he worked his charm around them and every bit of happiness, well… It disappeared after some time.

Maybe his mother had been a good person once. Scorpius didn't know. She wasn't now though. Maybe

_One hundred fifty-two._

She had been influenced by his father and turned bitter because of his presence, or maybe she already was, never forgiving the word for what it had taken from her in her youth. Now it was even steadily stealing her youth away from her, every second of every minute of every day.  
She didn't bother with Scorpius, just like his father. His parents just let him live in their house and eat their food, somewhat like a pet, with the occasional occurrence that they had to show him off, like tonight.

_One hundred twenty-seven._

She was especially cold toward him. Scorpius thought she still hadn't forgiven him for the pain he had caused her during her pregnancy, and that he had ruined her body for her.

Staying home wasn't all that bad. If he overlooked the barely concealed insults and lied low, trying not to alert his parents of his presence, he even had a reasonably peaceful summer.

_One hundred and eight. _

Or as peaceful as it got. Scorpius carefully sat up, Trying not to twist his middle. It hurt when he did that. Not that he wasn't used to pain. It was a regular occurrence in his life. Between accidents, 'accidents' and Quidditch he might have had more injuries, only in his last year than anyone else at Hogwarts in their entire life. Okay, now he was exaggerating, but it did get the point across rather well.

_Eighty-one. _

He grunted softly as he pressed his hand against his side. He was almost certain the cut had opened again and was bleeding. That Diagon alley wasn't the safest place to work, Scorpius had learned the hard way. It was still safer than his parents wrath though.

_Sixty. Sixteen hours until he went to Hogwarts._

Their cold anger scared him, but what scared him more was their- or more is fathers way of punishing him, with that nonchalant air around him, and their quick dismissal after that. It gave him the shivers.

He messed up his hair and pushed these thoughts out of his head. His father had rubbed off on him in the last weeks. Even though Scorpius had tried to spent as much as time out of his house, Draco's pessimistic and depressing mood had rubbed off on Scorpius. The dark thoughts were only a side effect of his newfound depression.

_Thirty-two._

He stood up and looked in the mirror, to look if he was presentable. He might even have reached his mother's standards. His hair was a bit disheveled, and he had dark circled underneath his eyes, but other than that he still looked as neat as possible. He turned and looked at is side. He saw no blood through his robes and sighed in relieve.

_Ten._

Quickly he rearranged his hair and tried to smile, only to see if he could still do that.

_Three._

He opened the door

_Two._

And walked out of his room,

_One._

Into the hallway.

_Twenty-nine minutes part Six P.M. sharp._

"Scorpius honey. Dinner is ready!" The misleadingly pleasant voice of his mother called from downstairs. Scorpius went downstairs in quick strides, eight seconds later he stood beside his mother who was looking him up and down, judging his appearance. He had learned that when his mother called him, you had to be by her side within ten seconds or you were too late.

Austoria hated tardiness.

She tittered and began pulling at his hair, 'fixing' it. Scorpius stood still and let her, wincing slightly when she pulled too hard.

"Can't you do anything about those awful shadows under your eyes?" Austoria asked, trailing one slender finger around the curve of his eye.

"No, mother." Scorpius shivered at the touch of her cool finger. Austoria nodded curtly and swept around. "Entrance room. Now." Her voice had lost the warmth it had possessed only a moment before.

Scorpius wordlessly followed her, still counting down.

_Sixteen hours and fifty-eight minutes._

~~~~O.0~~~~

"_Oh martin, don't do this!" _The television woke Rose when a car crashed into something (or someone) With a loud bang and a lot of noise.

She shut upright with a start and looked at the television in annoyance. The bright fire on the big screen made her think the television didn't like her much either. The suspicion was confirmed when something else on screen exploded, startling Rose with the loud noise.

She quickly covered her ears and closed her eyes. Hadn't she been looking at some soppy movie? She didn't get movies.

With a sigh, she turned the TV off. She had given it a try, Hermione couldn't say that Rose's arguments for hating the television were based on nothing anymore. She had tried watching it and she still hated it. It was noisy, most people _sucked_ at acting, the story-lines either didn't make sense or were predictable… she could go on for a while like this.

Yawning, Rose stood up, went to put her plate in the kitchen and to look if her mother was home already.

Rose rubbed her eyes three times before she finally believed her eyes. was it normal to wake up at two in the morning? The mystery of the incoherent movie was solved though. They were two different movies.

Rose put the plate away in the big machine thingy that washed the dishes for her. The pizza on the kitchen table was gone (Hermione must have come home already, not really strange considering the time' and was replaced by a little note.

Rose picked it up and read it through, and reread it when she hadn't taken in a word of it.

She rolled her eyes and fumbled the piece of parchment up and throwing it over her shoulder. She didn't need her mother's thanks, nor did she need to know how important her job was. They were words she had heard hundreds of times before.

Satisfied that her mother was home, Rose went off to bed with an excited feeling in her belly. A few more hours, at the end of this day to be more precise, she would be back at Hogwarts.

Back home.

The feeling in her belly disappeared when Rose bumped into her desk, and angry footsteps came to her room.

The car was gently bobbed up and down as it sped towards king cross station. Rose opened one of her eyes to look around. The sight she saw would have been comical if she wasn't so very tired, just because of the sheer normality of it.

Both she and Hugo were curled up in their backseat, mirroring each other by resting their head against the window and trying to sleep.

In the front seat, Hermione was driving with squinted eyes and the tip of her tongue between her teeth in concentration.

Rose looked away from her mother and looked out of the window, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. They had had a fight yesterday again, a little different than usual. Instead of the ususal shouting and accusing, they had whispered, not wanting to make Hugo up. It had resulted into less arguing and more insulting. Rose had said some things she wasn't proud of admitting she had said, but she had only told the truth. The hurtful truth but truth all the same.

Hermione said some truthful things about her too.

They hadn't always been like this. She remembered the time that she and her mother were as close as best friends vividly, and knew she would never forget it.

Maybe that only made it harder.

~~.~~

Heavy rain was pouring from the sky, making the surroundings glum and grey.

"Are we almost there?" Hugo asked sleepily, stretching awkwardly on his seat. Rose quickly closed her eyes so they wouldn't disturb her. Talking was one of the many things she didn't feel like doing.

Apparently they would be there in half an hour. Why they lived so far away from London was a complete mystery to Rose. Her mother worked there, she had to go there every day. Living a little closer to it would be more logical.

Rose slowly drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face as her brother and mother were happily talking. It was good to hear the two of them talk. Even if she was fighting with one of them.

~~.~~

Rose was swaying slightly next to her brother while holding on to him for support. Platform nine and three quarters was as crowded as always and the noise was making her light-headed.

Hugo was saying goodbye to Hermione while Rose was pointedly ignoring her mother, looking around, trying to find someone to distract herself with.

She spotted some friends from Hogwarts and weakly waved. Friends was the best word for them at least. They weren't close, but acquaintances sounded so cold, so Rose had no better word for them.

"Hi Rose." A cheerful voice said from behind Rose. She quickly twisted around, still hanging onto Hugo's shoulder for support.

Missy smiled shyly at her. "Missy!" Rose said happily. Missy was someone who she did count among real friends.

"How are you?" Missy asked looking at Hugo and Hermione, who was still telling Hugo to stay out of trouble.

"Good. I'm a bit tired though." Rose let go of Hugo and hoisted up her trunk.

"I'm going. I'll see you at Hogwarts." Rose said to Hugo. Hugo nodded. "See you sis." And Rose turned away, still ignoring her mother. What Hermione had called her yesterday might have hurt more than Rose cared to admit.

She hoisted her trunk up and walked away with Missy.

"And how are you?" Rose asked once we were out of earshot of her mother. Missy shrugged. "Fine I guess. My broken heart had finally healed." She grabbed her chest dramatically and Rose laughed.

"That's too bad, I had the perfect revenge plan." Rose said with a wink. Missy looked at Rose in interest. "I said my heart had healed, not that I've forgiven him." She said with a pout.

Rose grinned and put a finger across my lips, gesturing around us. Missy looked at all the students that could overhear us and understood. Not here.

"Want to find Hailey, Kristy and Jenny?" Missy asked.

Rose stared at her blankly. "Who?"

Missy scowled and Rose couldn't stop the grin from forming on her lips.

"Truly, Missy. I don't think I'm ever going to go through the trouble of learning the names of you little baby gooses."

"Want to find my baby gooses then?" Missy said, rolling her eyes. Rose shrugged. "Not particularly, no."

Missy did though, so Rose was stuffed into a compartment with Missy and her little group of followers a few minutes later, staring out of the window and waiting for the clock to point at eleven 'o clock. She had to go to the prefects carriage then, the perfect excuse to get out of this compartment she was sharing with duck 1, 2, 3 and Missy.

They were truly Missy's mindless followers. They literally followed her around, copied her, looked up to her for guidance and so on. Rose had never bothered with them. If they couldn't even think for themselves, Rose doubted they had the mental capacity to have a conversation with based on something else than gossip.

Outside, she saw more than one of her countless relatives swarming around like red birds. Very annoying red birds, truth be told. All of them were greeting each other like they hadn't seen each other in years. Rose rolled her eyes, knowing they had all seen each other at the burrow, her grandmother's house, only Friday. It was one of the few thing she found irritating about her family. That and their denseness. And their inability to keep their nose in their own damned business. Rose sighed and leaned against the cool window, closing her eyes. They weren't that bad, but a whole summer with them was just a little too much for Rose. She was a bit fed up with them. It would pass in a few days, if they gave her her well-deserved peace and quiet.

A loud whistle flew and Rose's eyes snapped open to see that the platform was now deprived from students and was slowly moving out of sight.

Rose stood up and rummage into her trunk for a moment, looking for her robes and badge.

"I've got prefect duties, Missy. I see you around. Take good care of your baby gooses. I'm afraid they can't survive without you." Rose said with a smile at Missy. Missy laughed and nodded.

While Rose closed the door behind her, She heard one of the brainless followers ask Missy if she had pet gooses and almost burst out in laughing. She was satisfied to hear that Missy indeed had burst out laughing.

On her way over to the prefects carriage, Rose broke up three fights and one shouting match (Those damned students became ruder and more insolent every passing year), resulting in her not having time to change into her robes. She shrugged and buttoned the prefects badge onto her baggy T-shirt. It wasn't that big of a deal right? they weren't at Hogwarts yet.

The prefect carriage was already full when Rose entered.

"Sorry, I got held up. There were some fights." Rose said quickly to the head girl before practically diving into the only unoccupied seat.

As expected, she was the only one not wearing her robes yet and Rose felt her cheeks heat up at the stares she got. The head girl (A Ravenclaw, Gill Wilson?) Looked pointedly at me for a few moments while I tried to sink deeper and deeper into my chair.

It didn't help that Al, who was sitting next to her, kept sniggering at her expanse. Al was her cousin, and had also been made a prefect last year. With him it had been less of a surprise than with Rose though. Al was shy, helpful, nice, smart and had an almost spotless record. Rose was… Rose. Disorganised, always late for everything, scatter-brained and her record was a long way from spotless. She had achieved some impressive academic results though, and If they hadn't chosen her as prefect. Now that she thought about it, who else would they have chosen? A mindless follower? Missy? One of her other roommates? Maybe it wasn't such a surprise she was made a prefect after al. She was just the best option amongst bad ones.

"Welcome, prefects." The head girl started.

"Thank you all for showing up." Another pointed look was thrown Rose's way.

"Cyrill Lestrange and I have been made head boy and girl for this year." The head girl gestured behind herself and Rose noticed Lestrange standing behind her, a little in the shadows and almost unnoticeable in them with his dark hair and tanned skin.

She tore her eyes away from him and tried to concentrate on the lengthy and boring speech the head girl was making. Not a very easy feet and Rose felt herself zoom out as the girl was wildly flaring her hands around, explaining about rounds, duties and punishments. Maybe they should sent all the rule breakers to her so she could give them this speech as punishment? Rose decided that that would be too harsh a punishment for anyone.

She looked at Lestrange again and saw he was already looking at her. He nodded toward the head girl and rolled his eyes in exasperation. I smirked back and winked.

"So, if you have day's you can't patrol, you have to inform me or Lestrange in a week. Until then I know there are no other activities yet so we'll schedule you randomly." He head girl concluded her endless speech.

"Anyone has any questions?" Lestrange spoke for the first time. Rose put her hand up.

"Any chance you could summarise that in the future?" She asked with an innocent expression. She felt Al elbow her in the ribs but she ignored him. If looks could kill, she was sure the Ravenclaw head girl would have been sent to Azkaban for murder in an instant.

"That was my suggestion, but Wilson found it better that we made it as clear as possible." Lestrange answered with a the hint of a smile.

"Weasley. You can patrol the train with Lestrange. The rest, you are free to go." Wilson the head girl said, clearly not appreciating the joke and giving them both a nasty look. Rose shrugged and waited for everybody to shuffle out of the compartment, off to find their friends.

"Seriously, Rose? Why did you have to do that? Now you can't come and sit with us." Al whined. What us? Rose thought his best friend came to Hogwarts later, due to family matters or something?

Rose looked him up and down and found it unfair that everybody recently became a head taller than her. She was the daughter of Ron Weasley the gangly, but no, she just had to inherit her mother's height.

"Sorry Al, couldn't help myself." She lied, knowing full well she could have helped it. Al pouted.

"I can't sit with you at the feast either." He complained. "And I barely saw you during the summer." Rose smiled and patted him on the shoulder in mock compassion. "I am oh so sorry that my punishment inconveniences you. I'll stop by your apartment later okay? It's not like I'm actually going to patrol the whole journey." She tried to prevent the puppy dog eyes he usually used whenever he didn't get his way. He nodded happily.

"Okay Rosie." Rose scowled and glared at him as he used the ridicules nickname. "But first you have to tell me what you're going to take this year, I never came around to asking you." Rose rolled her eyes. He had asked plenty of times, but she had always waved him of, saying she still had to decide.

"Just, you know." Rose said hesitantly. She couldn't not tell him now. "Potions, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, Charms, Defence, History and Care of magical creatures." She listed the ridiculously long list quickly.

"Nine? Rose, I know-" He started to say but was cut off as Rose literally shoved him out of the room. "Nice chat, Al. I can manage, I always have. Now go before James sees you and comes. I really don't want to witness a fight between him and Lestrange." Rose said as a parting words before basically slamming the door in his face.

She rubbed her temples and turned around to see not only Lestrange but also Malfoy looking at her.

"I never knew you ever wimpled your family off. I thought I was the only one who received that treatment." Malfoy said with a slight smirk and an arched eyebrow.

"I'm not that cruel. I wouldn't withhold something from then." She said sarcastically.

"And here I thought I was special." He said with a dramatically sigh.

"But you are. A _special_ child with _special_ education." Rose remarked, opening the door for him and gesturing for him he could get out. He scowled and Rose noticed the meaning of special education didn't go lost on him. He had taken muggle studies once, after all.

"You should know, You're _special_ daddy's _special_ little girl after all, aren't you?" He said, walking out of the door. Rose felt something inside her snap and looked at his retreating back. He shouldn't have mentioned her father, especially not in an insult. Not after she had gotten a whole summer getting fed up with him, and his... absence.

"Confoundo." She said under her breath, taking her wand out of her sleeve and concentrating on the blond in front of her.

Her efforts were rewarded with the sight of Scorpius stopping short and looking around himself in obvious confusing. Rose slammed the door shut and turned around.

"I have to change, Lestrange." She said not unkindly to his smirking face.

"Don't let my presence stop me, and I told you a hundred times already, call me Cyrill."

She pick up her robes from underneath the seat she had sat on and smile at him. Lestrange was constantly flirting with every girl within fifteen feet radius of him, but if you looked beyond that, he was quite nice. It was rather funny to see him fighting with her cousin James too. They had been friends ever since he had seen her hex James so bad he had to stay in the hospital wing for three days straight.

She sneaked an arm around his waist. "And I'm sure you're about to suggest that you could do the undressing for me." She said in his ear as she gently steered him toward the door.

"Why yes, how did you know?" Lestrange said with a wink. She smiled back at him came a bit closer to him, then in one quick motion shoved him outside the compartment and closed the door.

"Because I know how to handle you." Rose called through the door, closing the hangers.

"I resent that, woman." Lestrange called back while Rose was changing.

"But I can live with it, you are supposed to be _our_ Weasley, after all." He continued as Rose was tying her green and silver tie.

_So… I really hope you like it! I am a little bit obsessed over Harry Potter at the moment… I found my old obsession back in the attic in the form of seven books that were getting far too dusty for my taste. _

_I hope you don't hook off because I placed our little Rosie dear in Slytherin, you'll get why later on. And No, Slytherin house is not evil! Just a tad… dark? Anyway, I'm going to update as much as I can, the next chapter is already finished actually… And please, tell me what you think, Like it? Hate it? Do you have advice? Idea's? Questions? Anything to say at all? Nothing to say? Please, tell me! Everyone loves reviews, even if it is just so we know someone is actually reading our piece of... ehmm, am I allowed to call this art?_


	2. Lighter and darker thoughts

_**Three days… aren't I fast? Enjoy!:**_

"_Why yes, how did you know?" Lestrange said with a wink. She smiled back at him came a bit closer to him, then in one quick motion shoved him outside the compartment and closed the door. _

"_Because I know how to handle you." Rose called through the door, closing the hangers. _

"_I resent that, woman." Lestrange called back while Rose was changing. _

"_But I can live with it, you are supposed to be our Weasley, after all." He continued as Rose was tying her green and silver tie._

"I resent _that_." Rose said, opening the door and joining Lestrange. "You make it sound like I'm your property."

Lestrange smiled. "Why, you are fast. Got a lot of practice of undressing quickly eh?" Rose looked at him for a moment, then arched an eyebrow as if to ask 'Really?'.

"Oh right Waiting 'till marriage." Rose perched her mouth but kept quiet. She was, in fact, not waiting until marriage. She couldn't wait until marriage to be even more precise. She was, however, keen on keeping this piece of information away from the rest of her ridiculously overprotective family who apparently all thought that it was their job to repeatedly interfere with her life. She had concluded that looking at anyone who suggested that she had slept with someone like they were crazy, until they became nervous enough to change the subject themselves was the best way to ensure there came no gossip.

"Maybe I will have to ask you to marry me then someday." Lestrange said conflicted and laughed as Rose whacked him on the arm. "Right. I think you will die the day I tell James that we are friends, and we are nothing more than that."

Lestrange shrugged. "I'm stronger than him, and we'll see. Let's start patrolling this damned train." Rose nodded in agreement of both things and trailed a little behind him as they began making their way across the entire length of the train.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Al was resolutely looking out of the window while scowling. Rose had just cut him off and shoved him out of his compartment. Why on earth did she do that? He just wanted to tell her she was taking on a far too big load again, just like any good cousin would. The bloody rain that refused to stop pouring from the sky didn't help calm him down either. How many times did he have to tell Rose that he wanted to help her. She helped him plenty of times. It was like she thought that just because she was in a different house, she would have to deal with everything alone! But she didn't! Molly and Victoire hadn't been in Griffindor either, and they asked for help sometimes! Just because she was in Slytherin didn't mean she was any less of family! Just-

"What had gotten you all riled up?" Hugo interrupted his mental rant. Al looked around at Hugo. "What?" He asked, a little harsher then he would have normally.

Hugo gestured to him and said "That, What got your temper flared?"

"Your sister." Al said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, don't worry about it. She's in a bit of a bad mood. She and mum were at each other's throat all summer long. I think she became a bit moody from that." Hugo said offhandedly, a thing that hurt Al more than the fact that Rose had shoved him away earlier that day.

She was drifting away from him, bit by bit. That was the real reason why he was angry. He didn't understand her like he used to anymore. She had always been his best friend, but now. They barely hung out anymore.

"Why?" Lily asked Hugo, looking up from the chessboard.

Hugo moved the knight and slayed her queen with a lot of noise. "Beats me."

Lily cursed and frowned down at the board in obvious confusion.

"Al, help! I'm losing." She wined like he had the ability to beat Hugo. Al glanced over to the chess board again. "Take his tower with your bishop." He advised, knowing Lily would lose from Hugo anyway. The boy was a mastermind in this game and no one had ever been able to defeat him since he reached the tender age of eight.

Al went back to glaring at the rain outside. He missed Rose, he couldn't deny that, but what was he supposed to do now? Would she listen if he told her? Or would she just wave it away and tell him that it was nonsense what he was saying? It wasn't nonsense, that was one thing Al did know.

The compartment door opened and Al looked to see who it was. Ralf Zabini and Scorpius Malfoy were standing in the door opening. Ralf held Scorpius tightly by his shoulder and had a strained smile on his face.

"Hi Al, can we join you?" He asked, and pulled Scorpius back as he tried to walk away out of sight. Al nodded and looked questioning at Ralf, mutely asking him what was wrong with Scorpius.

"I think he got confounded." Ralf said, firmly setting Scorpius a seat, then seating himself opposite Al.

"I did?" Scorpius mused interestedly, looking at the chess game between Hugo and Lily.

"He did." Hugo said, slaying yet another chess piece and not looking up.

"Who did it?" Al asked, looking at her friend in concern. Ralf shrugged while Scorpius was still looking slightly dazed.

"Confunded?" Scorpius asked again.

Al turned to his cousin. "Hugo, when will he stop being so… dense?" He asked. Hugo was almost as much of a genius as Rose.

He shrugged and finally looked at Scorpius. "Depends on who cast the spell really…" He trailed off as Scorpius was looking at his hands like they were the most awe inspiring things he had ever seen in his entire life. "Merlin's beard, that spell on him is strong."

Ralf and Al exchanged a look. "How long until he's normal when Rose cast the spell?" They asked at the same time. Hugo fondly smiled at the mention of his sister. "An hour I think. Maybe a bit more."

Ralf groaned. "Remind me never to make Rose angry."

Now Lily looked up. "Do not, ever, make Rose angry. It will probably be the last thing you do." She said with a serious face. Ralf laughed for a moment, then stopped when no one joined in. "Okay?" He asked uncertainly, never having the unfortune of witnessing Rose angry. Not many had.

Hugo went back to beating Lily with chess after that and Ralf and Al talked about who would become their new Defence Against the Dark Art and Ancient Runes teachers. Scorpius kept staring at everything with a dazed look with interest until finally, after a long time, he finally was himself again and joined the conversation.

Al had forgotten all about his bad mood and that he was mad at Rose when someone gently knocked on the door.

"Come in." Hugo said, still gloating about the fact that he had defeated Lily four times until she refused to play anymore. Rose gently opened the door and smiled at Al.

"Hi Al. Sorry for cutting you off like I did before. I just really didn't want you to play the overprotective cousin in front of Lestrange and" She nodded to Scorpius who was scowling at Rose "That git."

Al had this irritating quality of being unable to stay mad at someone for longer than an hour or so and nodded. His anger was cooled off. "It's okay Rosie." She scowled but said nothing. "Just don't do it again." He scolded lightly. Rose nodded happily. "Of course not, I really am sorry, Al."

"Owe anyone else an apology Weasley?" Scorpius said coldly.

"Why yes. I am sorry for everyone here to be forced to be in close proximity with you." Rose answered smoothly.

"And here I was just about to do that, we really do have one and the same wand, don't we." He said sarcastically.

"So much so that I would go as far as to say I know when you are in pain.. or confused."

"Must have been a bit uncoordinated then."

Al noticed that something was off even now with his cousin. Instead of being all spiteful against Scorpius like she normally was, and insulting him every opportunity she got, she was just… weirdly talking to him. Or had she never been spiteful toward him?

Lily and Hugo exchanged a glance before hurriedly standing up and excusing themselves from what they feared would become duelling ground.

"I'm sure Kelvin and Rica are done snogging by now." Hugo said and fled the compartment.

"And if not, I think that discussing subjects with Zoë would be just lovely." Lily said before following Hugo. Al watched them go and knew they understood Rose just as little as he himself. Rose and Scorpius hadn't duelled since their fourth year, and that was only because he had dumped one of her friends.

Rose rolled her eyes and sat down across from Scorpius and hosted her legs up, leaning them on one of Scorpius' legs.

"Sorry Weasley, but I am afraid that I have not yet gotten the notice that I became a bench." He said, shoving her feet aside. "I owled it to you a week ago." Rose said, replacing her feet on his knee.

"You mean that little, irritating thing my mother's cat ate last week was supposed to be an _owl_? Must take after it's owner."

Al loudly cleared his throat and sent Ralf a desperate look, who was just looking at Rose and Scorpius with obvious amusement. Al had never really found it in himself to find the constant bickering and occasional fighting between his two friends funny, but maybe you had to be in Slytherin to find such a thing amusing?

"Please, you two. Get a room." Ralf said loudly, drowning Rose's replay out. Rose shot him an irritated look.

"Is there any chance he can go by himself?"

"No. He was here first." Al said.

Rose nodded and stopped the bickering, noticing how uncomfortable Al looked. She asked Ralf about his summer, ignoring Scorpius completely, refusing to so much as look at him. Al noticed that she kept her legs resting on his knee though, and that Scorpius made no move to shove them off again.

Scorpius and Al began taking about quidditch, taking his mind off Rose.

After what seemed like hours, the sugary voice of the trolley lady finally drifted through the door. Al jumped up, knocked Roses legs out of the way and hastily opened the door, his stomach rumbling.

"Oh, Salazar forbid that Al has to wait for his sweets." Rose said offended. Al ignored her and looked at all the delicacies on the trolley with a gleeful smile.

"Are you hungry, dear?" The trolley lady asked sweetly. Al nodded vigorously and began loading his arms full of sweets. One or more of each.

After quickly paying the kindly lady, Al dropped all the sweets in the seat besides Scorpius and sat across from it, looking at it for a moment, contemplating what to devour first.

"Al, ever stopped to think we might wanted to buy something too when you sent the trolley lady away?" Ralf asked. Rose rolled her eyes. "He can't respond right now. He's in his predator mode."

Al pounced, deciding what his prey would be and emerged with a few pumpkin pasties and sugar quills.

"See." Rose said gesturing to Al. Al stuck his tongue out to her and settled back into his seat, content with consuming as much food as possible.

Rose looked at him and wrinkled her nose. "I think I'm going to head off." She said, standing up. Al waved, unable to talk due to the impossible amount of food in his mouth. She said bye to Ralf, nodded curtly to Malfoy and departed, stealing some wheezing Frisbees on her way out."

Al kicked Scorpius as he looked after her with his brow furrowed into a frown.

"What is it and why are you staring after my cousin?" He asked suspiciously.

"I have no bloody idea." Scorpius answered, appearing a bit confused. "After affect from that damned confusion hex she put on me?" he suggested after some moments looking deep in thought.

Scorpius' own genuine confusion convinced Al that he was probably telling the truth. Probably. Rule one for hanging out with Slytherins, never assume they tell the truth.

He offered the others some sweets and they happily excepted them, spending the rest of the train ride eating and joking.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Rose was nodding off while the headmaster, Professor Donaldson, was making his 'Welcome back to Hogwarts' speech. She already had one speech today, this second one was too much, especially after that huge feast she had just consumed. She wasn't sure she could even call it eating what she had done, it was far too much akin to how her cousins ate for her liking, but she had been so hungry.

Scarlet gently shook her. "Rose? Rose, don't fall asleep and leave me alone with the airheads."

Rose opened her eyes and looked at Scarlet. She perked up when she saw Rose was awake. "Can't Missy stay awake?" Rose asked yawning. Scarlet shook her head, her beautiful brown hair moving with her.

"She's a lost cause." She said and leaned back to relive a fast asleep Missy, her head resting on the table.

Rose rubbed her eyes. "Natasha Deakins?" She offered sleepily. Scarlet shook her head. "We hate Natasha, Rose." She said, gently tugging Rose's hair to wake her up a little bit more.

"I know." Rose yawned again and rested her head on Scarlet's shoulder. "Who'd you rather be locked up with, Natasha or the airheads?"

Scarlet shook under Rose's head in silent giggles. "unconditionally Natasha. What if the airheads would decide to follow me after we were released?" She said with a shudder. Rose felt her head tump down on the table and groaned. "Auch. Bad Scarlet."

Scarlet giggled again. "Are you okay?"

Rose nodded unhappily. "Can I sleep now?"

Instead of stroking her hair and telling her she could go to sleep now like she so desperately wanted, the hall burst out in noise and Scarlet pulled Rose up to her feet.

"No, Prefect duties instead. I'll get Missy down to our common room… Somehow." Scarlet said, pushing Rose gently in the direction of a few first years.

Rose opened her eyes properly, willing herself to wake up as she walked towards the group first years, who stood huddled together, looking around with big, fearful eyes.

Rose smiled brightly at them. "First years?" She asked, supressing the yawn she felt coming up. The little students nodded, looking up at her.

Rose loved first years for this. She was taller than them! She was shorted than almost everyone from her year, and most from the two years below her… even shorter than some third and second years, but first years, they were always shorter than her. If only they could stay this lovely height…

Rose smiled warmly at them, trying to make them feel more comfortable. "Follow me then." She said and led them down to the Slytherin common room, first down a fair few fits of stairs, then through the maze Hogwarts called it's dungeons. She remembered how she had gotten lost here all those times throughout her first year and grinned to herself. She had still been naïve back then, afraid she was evil just because she had been placed into Slytherin. How she had learned since then. She glanced over her shoulder at the little students following her and wondered if any of them would struggle like she had to find their place in this house, for no matter how much she had learned to love Slytherin house, she had to admit it was the most demanding of them all.

Rose stopped when they reached the end of the corridor, facing the bare wall. She turned back around and saw the little students looking at her with their big eyes.

"This," She gestured to the wall behind her, "Is the entrance to your common room. You are expected to uphold the Slytherin honour and always be in it when the curfew is up. Also, you are not to show the common room to any students from different houses, no matter how much they wine or sulk about it."

The first years nodded quickly under her stare and looked like they were dying to 'uphold the Slytherin honour'. Rose nodded once and turned back to the bare wall.

"Duty before honour." She said loudly, so everyone could hear her. Grooves appeared in the wall, first curving around on the wall, then starting to deepen. In the span of three seconds, the doors were formed and dug out, and Rose pushed them open. Before she went in, she turned around one last time and was satisfied that nobody had moved. "You need the password to get in. Never tell this password to anybody outside your house. The password changes after every holiday and when it has leaked. You can enter now." And she turned around to enter the familiar room. She heard the soft thumps of feet following her inside. No one spoke and Rose suspected they were all looking round with their mouth hanging open, much like she had done. She couldn't blame them. How many times did you have the chance to be in a chamber underneath a lake with windows so you can look into the deep depths of the green water? Even the silent aura of power and discipline on the common room was enough to shut you up when you encountered it for the first time.

"The door to the left over there lead to the girl dormitories, the door to the right to the boy dormitories. I suspect I don't need to tell you that you are not, in no situation, allowed to enter the dorm from the opposite gender." Rose asked, not even bothering to turn around anymore. The students behind her mumbled an affirmative and shuffled off.

"Fancy breaking your rule with me?" Someone said from a couch. Rose walked over to it to see Malfoy lounging on it. His self-satisfied, smug smirk in place.

"Really Malfoy?" Rose asked, folding her arms. Her tiredness had subsided a bit from the long walk, but was still very noticeable present. No matter how much she loved arguing with Malfoy, it wasn't something she wanted to do when she was about to fall asleep. She had no choice than to stay though, because she wanted to wait for Scarlet and Missy to make sure Scarlet had managed to wake the other up.

Malfoy opened his eyes and winked. "Right, I forgot. You don't do that." He drawled, seeing the indignant look on her face.

"It isn't everyone's goal to tango with every member of the opposed gender." Rose said, feeling a tad too tired for a better comeback.

"Virgin." Scorpius scoffed and swept his hair out of his eyes.

What was it with him and his family remarking about her sexual activities recently? They hadn't bothered bringing that up before.

"You should know, If a girl hasn't done it with you, she can't have with anyone else." Rose said, having regained her sarcasm.

Malfoy cocked an eyebrow. "So miss perfect has done some naughty business, has she?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "You are impossible."

"You know you love it." Came his cocky replay.

"So much I suddenly have this urge to squeeze you to death."

Rose glanced at the entrance to the common room as a few students trickled in but there was no sign of her friends yet.

"Oh please, don't let me stop you." He close his eyes again signalling the end of the conversation.

"I won't." Rose said curtly and wiped around, going to her dorm. Scarlet and Missy would just have to take care of themselves, she was not going to spend a single second longer in Malfoy's presence than absolutely necessary. The comment about her father still burned in her mind. Daddy's special little girl.

The moment Rose reached her dorms, she pulled on her pyjamas, not even showering before sinking onto her bed and drift away on the currents of her thought into the corners of her imagination where her dreams came alive.

~~~~O.0~~~~

James was practically jumping up and down with energy, when Dom finally entered the common room. He had been waiting for her for at least half an hour. He hadn't seen her at either the train or the feast and he wanted to see her before classes started, just to see her, and hear her voice.

She stopped when she saw James and hesitated for a moment, but James didn't. The moment he saw Dom, his face broke out into a wide grin and he ran toward her to give her a bone crushing hug.

"James! 'ow was your summer?" Dom asked, an uncertain smile playing across her full lips. James smiled and released her, pushing a strand of her hair gently behind her ear, trying to act like nothing had happened last year.

"It was wonderful. All those times I got Al, you should have been there!" He said, smiling menacingly while thinking back to all the times he had pranked Al over the summer. He noticed how her cheeks coloured and was accurately aware of how close they were. He quickly stepped back.

"Where were you during the feast, and on the train?" He asked, trying to distract him and her from their embarrassment.

"With Chaz." Dom said carefully, searching his face for the expected anger.

James felt it well up, like it always did. You would think that after all the boyfriends she had had over the years, he would stop caring, he hadn't. Not even once. And Chaz Izzo, he had quite the reputation. James was sure Dom would just end up being someone on his list, and that was not something James wanted for her. He looked at her and saw her happiness in her eyes. James, not wanting to fight with her this early in the year, swallowed and tried to squash his anger and hurt away. It was something he wasn't used to doing and found it was far more difficult than he had always expected.

"That's great Dom, when did you to get together?" He said unconvincingly, clenching his fists rather noticeably.

"I… A week ago. I ran into 'im in Diagon ally. Look, James please don't be mad. I really like 'im."

"Of course you do. I'm not mad at all." James said, then turned around.

"I'll ask you about your summer later, I'm going to bed." He said and stalked up the stairs.

Dominique Weasley. He loved his cousin, but truly, sometimes he just didn't understand her. She always insisted on dating boys who were not good for her. Always insisted on dating, like being alone was a sin.

She didn't have to make sense though. She was his cousin and best friend. If she wanted to date them, she could. If they hurt her, they sealed their own fate. It was his duty to protect her from the rougher gender.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Dom looked at James retreating back and swallowed the tears away. She had shed to many already. James, he wanted to protect her, she knew that, but it wasn't really his choice whether she dated someone or not. Or maybe she was being unfair to him? She did depend on him when they broke her heart, or when she had messed up, always expecting him to protect her.

What if someday, he decided he wouldn't do it anymore?

She sighed and went upstairs to her dormitories. She had been late, because a certain Chaz had held her up when she wanted to go upstairs, not that she had minded. The soft sound of regular breathing told her her roommates were already fast asleep.

How long had James waited for her?

She had rather lost track of time with Chaz. He was great. Sweet, handsome, dependable, a great kisser.

He bored her though. Just like all the rest had always bored her.

She thought back to last year. Well, almost everyone else. There was one, who had caught her attention and held it, but they weren't meant to be.

Dom sighed and let herself fall down on her bed.

Why did she have to fall for him?

~~~~O.0~~~~

"Stupid."

"smart-arse."

"I take that as a compliment."

"Please, don't." Rose said in aspiration. Malfoy sent her a wink. "A boy got to take every complement he gets."

"Your sentence isn't even grammatical correct." Rose said and sipped at her pumpkin juice.

"Use your imagination." He said, and continued wolfing down his breakfast. Rose glanced at Lestrange, who was sitting next to Malfoy, with a pleading expression. He was unable to speak due to silent laughter.

Rose scowled. "If I imagine you leaving, will you?"

Malfoy shook his head. "Only if you play out some of my ima-"

Rose kicked him hard under the table. One of her cousins might have thrown food at his face, but Slytherins didn't do that. It wasn't that they were stuck up like everyone always thought, it was just that they didn't show improper behaviour in public if it didn't benefit them in one way or another.

"Don't even finish that sentence, Malfoy. I'm really not interested."

He looked at her with a pleading expression. Lestrange silent laughter became audible as he couldn't hold it in anymore. "Tough luck, cous." He said, thumping Malfoy on his back. Rose shot him an irritated glare.

Before she could say anything, Scarlet slipped in next to Rose.

"Good morning." She said happily, loading her plate with food.

"Good morning." Malfoy said back, looking at Scarlet a bit warily. Scarlet sent his a big smile before turning to Rose.

Rose raised an eyebrow and sent her a questioning look. Scarlet and Malfoy hadn't really spoken, or acknowledged each other for over a year straight. Malfoy had broken up with her at the end of fourth year and Scarlet wasn't really a forgiving or understanding person when it came to people who hurt her.

Scarlet shrugged slightly and sent her a look that said it was time to get over it.

"What got you out of bed this early Rose?" Scarlet asked, changing the subject away from herself.

"You aren't exactly what you call a morning person, you aren't even hexing anyone."

Lestrange laughed. "She was awfully close a few minutes ago." He said, nodding towards Malfoy.

"I slept most of yesterday. Travelling makes me sleepy…" Rose said quickly, not giving Malfoy the change to say anything.

Scarlet laughed and spent the rest of breakfast teasing Rose.

Half an hour before breakfast ended (yes, she had really been _that_ early) Professor O' Flaherty, Head of Slytherin house and transfiguration teacher, handed out their schedules. Rose looked and saw, not to her surprise, that she had a lot less free hours then Scarlet.

Scarlet took one look at Rose's chart and scowled. "Please, promise me that you're going to beat all those snobby Ravenclaws. They always act like they are better than us." Rose laughed. "That is what James always says about us."

"Yes, but James is an arrogant twat who can't think for himself." Lestrange said from the other side of the table, examining his own schedule.

"I agree." A voice said from behind Rose. Al squeezed in between Rose and Scarlet and gave them a charming smile before chatting with Malfoy, asking him which subject he kept. Scarlet let out a longing sigh as she looked at Al.

Rose scowled. She was still irritated that Al and Malfoy got on so well. It felt to her like two parts of her life were colliding every time she saw Al and Scorpius. Her life with her family, and her life with her friends. Especially at the Slytherin table.

She had put a lot of effort in keeping those two things separate. It made life easier.

But life was never easy.

Just like now.

How should she act? Like the warm-hearted cousin? like the goofy girl she was in class? Like the clueless and fog headed girl she came across as sometimes? Did she continue with the competition within Slytherin house while Al could see her or now? Would he be tangled up by it too, and did she have to warn him about it?

She didn't know, so she just kept quiet and examined her schedule, willing her cousin to go back to his own table.

Had she worried about such things as much before or had her mother made her uncertain? She didn't think so. Hermione had said the truth after all, and the truth hurts.

She stood up abruptly.

"I'm going to get my books and see if Missy had awakened from her eternal slumber."

Scarlet laughed and handed her another schedule. "Missy's." She said before turning back to Al to continue shamelessly flirting with him. Rose smiled at Scarlet and winked before heading off.

As it turned out, Missy had woken up out of her coma and was happily chatting with airhead one and two, making plans for a part to celebrate being back at Hogwarts when Rose interrupted them.

She was stuffing ten books into her bag pack at the same time while telling Missy to get a move on.

"But Rose, my hair is a mess." She wined, fuzzing with it in front of a mirror while the airheads were cooing over it. Rose rolled her eyes.

"It looks fine Miss. Hurry up please, you already missed breakfast."

Rose hoisted the backpack on her bag and handed Missy her schedule. One with far more free periods and free time then Rose's had.

"Oh, look. First period I got divination." Missy squeaked excitedly and began talking about firenze's dreamy eyes and beautiful gold hair. Rose rolled her eyes again with a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Missy hadn't changed.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Scorpius realized he had surpassed all his steps of going back to school when he was flirting with some random girl in Ancient Runes.

He felt embarrassed to admit it, but in his first week back at Hogwarts, he probably had more mood changes than a moody teenage girl on her period.

His first stage was overly happy.

On the Hogwarts express, he had everything but bounced around from happiness. He had even gracefully forgiven Rose for hexing him and accepted her choice to ignore him when they shared a compartment for an hour or so. Instead of starting a fight with her, however amusing that might be (He really ought to stop though) he had revelled in the feeling of going back to Hogwarts and started a cheerful conversation with Al over which house would win the quidditch cub this year.

Al had even moodily agreed Slytherin would probably win, scowling at the prospect of being trained to death by his quidditch fanatic brother, James.

Stage two was foreboding.

When the happiness dwindled, the reality always hit Scorpius with full force, mostly with himself noticing one of his new made scars, or a gash in his side that was not totally covered.

What if someone found out about it? His father would be in deep shit, his mother would be in deep shit, but that didn't concern Scorpius that much anymore. He used to worry about his parents when someone asked him after the holidays how he got a bruise, or if someone asked him how he got the small scar on his neck. now he was just afraid someone would find out about his secret.

It was his secret, that of no one else. They had no right to interfere with his business, and he felt nothing for telling someone something this intimate about himself. Even when it meant that his father would be out of his life forever.

His foreboding had begun at the feast, when everyone always looked at you with a critic eye to see how much you had changed over the summer.

He reached the height of his foreboding when he and his best mate Ralf Zabini went to their dormitories. Scorpius had been sure Ralf would notice some of his wounds once he was in his pyjamas.

He either hadn't noticed them, or he had ignored them, because Scorpius had seen a fair few of them in the mirror after he had changed. He didn't know if he should be thankful Ralf didn't mention them, or feel even more foreboding.

Stage three was relief.

Relief to be back at Hogwarts, to be back within it's safe walls, far out of the reach of the real world that lay beyond its stone chambers, and relief that when he woke up, he had been woken by the snoring of his roommates and that the sight of the green drippings around his four poster bed greeted him.

Relief that he was free to be himself again, and not hold back in fear. Relief that there would always be food, relief that he could see his friends everyday again.

This was also the most dangerous stage of them all, the most likely to alert his friends that something was off with him.

He had spent his whole first day, looking at everything to do with Hogwarts, and not with Hogwarts, in wonder, as if he had never seen it before in his life. It did feel like a lifetime away since he had last seen them.

His friends had looked at him the funniest when he had greeted professor Binns with so much enthusiasm that the ghost had looked him up and down a few times before suggesting that he might want to drop by the hospital wing. Scorpius had tried to keep it down a bit after that, but he couldn't help the grin that kept appearing on his face when the teachers told him off, or if he walked by a secret passageway and went through it. He even greeted all the portraits politely. He had gotten another fit of weird looks when he had complimented a rather fat lady on her horrid singing.

Stage four was realisation, or that was what came most close to it.

his feelings became jumbled, relief mingling with happiness. Anticipation softly blending into anger. Irritation replacing sadness.

Even though his mind had already processed being back at Hogwarts, his body had not.

Every fibre of his being was sharpened. He jumped at shadows and listened for footstep that were thousands miles away at all times. After weeks, it had become a second nature to him.

When someone put a hand on his shoulder, his first reaction was to shrink away from it, cringing in anticipation. The fear never really went away when his instincts took over.

He listened for signs of his parents, trying to keep out of their way, until he remembered he didn't have to anymore.

He worried about a diner with his parents, that would never take place.

Scorpius tried willing his body to understand what his mind did. He didn't have to be ready to run all the time anymore. He didn't have to watch his every word. He didn't have to be quiet as a whisper and he didn't have to close himself off anymore.

These thought's and feelings interlaced with the excitement, relief and happiness of being back, made that he was on edge most of the time, biting away from people.

What was worse, his dark thoughts returned, pestering him with things he observed.

The knowledge he had turned into a different person over the holidays.

The feeling of being out of place.

The stares and whispers caught up with him.

The memories of his holiday came back and tortured him.

The feeling of being in a place that didn't change, while he had.

Irritation. Depression. Fear. Frustration. Anger. Exasperation.

Finally the last stage came.

Not caring.

He was out of that hellhole his parents called 'Home'. What else could he want?

Stares he was used to. Whispered he had endured so many times already. He wasn't out of place, this was where he belonged, and if he was different than the rest what did that matter? If he had changed so much, they would just get to know the new him. So what if his body hadn't realised yet that he escaped? It would.

So here he was in potions, flirting with some girl and looking like he didn't have a care in the world, not giving a single fuck.

That was, until Rose walked by, and Scorpius found, he did care. At least for one person.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Rose's first week was exhausting and the most fun she had had in a long time.

It all went slow though, like someone had enchanted the time to pass twice as slow.

Rose looked at her essay, deep in thought. Her face lit up and she scrabbled a few final lines under it, completing the seven inches essay for potions. A victorious smile appeared on her face. She had completed her homework with even time to spare. She was defiantly going to rub this into Missy's face, who was still racking her brain over her transfiguration assignment.

She looked up and saw Malfoy on the couch opposites hers, reading a book.

She looked him up and down, it was the first time after the vacation she got a good look at him. He looked pale, paler than usual and she was sure he had grown, but this didn't catch her attention.

The white lines on his arms did. The thin white line on his neck. The still slightly visible bruise on his cheek and the half healed cut on the back of his hand.

He still hadn't told anyone then. He still thought no one knew.

Rose wasn't stupid. She saw his wounds. It wasn't hard to figure out if you took the trouble to pay attention.

What she had to do with the knowledge was harder.

Rose knew how it was to have secrets. She didn't want people interfering with her business, she would go to them if she wanted help, and wouldn't it be hypocritical of her if she did that to him? Just interfere with his life.

"Scorpius?" Rose asked.

Malfoy looked up from his book and sent her a bewildered look. Rose felt a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth at his astonishment. She never called him by his given name.

"If there is ever anything you need help with, don't hesitate to ask."

And she went away, looking for Missy to see if she needed help. There was only so long she was going to keep the poor girl in distress.

She didn't interfere with his life.

She cared. She wanted to help, but he would have to ask her. To come to her.

Even in this situation, forcing your good intentions on someone, would always be a bad act.

So she would wait.

Rose opened the door to the seventh year dormitories and was met by the most high-pitched voices she had heard in her entire life. She covered her ears and slipped inside, to see Missy and the airheads chatting away happily, their schoolbooks lay before them, forgotten.

Rose cleared her throat, still trying to protect her delicate ears form the danger.

Missy looked up and let out an even higher squeal.

Rose winced and slowly shuffled over to Missy, wondering why she hung out with her again.

"Rosie!" Rose scowled at the nickname and cautiously removed her hands from her ears.

"Thank Salazar, you are here! I've already given up by myself. Kristy even explained it to me, because she's really good at Transfiguration, but I still don't get it." She pouted a bit, and to Rose's relief, the airheads had stopped squealing so they could listen to everything Missy said.

"Kristy?" Rose asked blankly. Missy opened her mouth but Rose cut her off. "Never mind. If you could please just stop sounding like a pig being tortured, I'll try and explain it to you."

Missy blushed and nodded, picking her book up.

Rose made herself comfortable next to her and began staring at the airheads until they would be uncomfortable enough to leave.

When they finally left, what took longer than Rose had thought, She explained Missy about the theory of Conjerment. She basically just read the textbook out loud and sometimes asked Missy if she understood. She always did.

~~.~~

Rose and Missy lay on Roses bed, with their heads together and staring up at the silver curtains, after Rose had made sure Missy had done her transfiguration assignment, happily chatting the night away.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Rosie, I'm going to throw a party Saturday and you must bring your cousin!" Rose turned her head to look at Missy in surprise. Missy wasn't really big on house unity.

"Witch one?"

"The handsome one of course." Missy said like it was obvious. Rose let out a laugh.

"You want the annoying, the Shy, the wild, or the one that is way too young for you." Rose looked back up at the curtain.

"The shy one? You mean Albus right?"

"Al, yes."

Missy shifted a bit. "Take Al. It'll be fun."

"Sure, But you are aware Scarlet likes him, right?"

Missy shot up. "No way!" She squealed.

Rose instinctively covered her ears to shield them from the peril that was Missy's voice.

A pillow his Missy's head. "Keep it down, we're trying to sleep here!" a muffled voice came from somewhere. Rose bit down on her lip to stop herself from laughing at Missy's indignant look on her face.

"Does she really?" Missy whispered, laying back down. Rose nodded, smiling slightly and wondering how on earth she had known it before Missy. Missy always knew everything, every little gossip in Hogwarts.

"I never knew…. Then you have to bring him. What if they hook up, that would be so cute!" Missy's voice became dangerously squeaky at the end of her sentence and Rose dropped a pillow on her face.

"It's going to be a big party than?"

Missy nodded fervently and began talking about every little detail of the party, from where it was to who was going to be there. Rose zoomed out a bit, thinking of simpler things, like how she was going to get Al to come with her.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Hugo yawned widely before rolling over in his bed.

With a hard thump, he reached the floor. His bed at home was bigger.

Hugo laid on the cold floor, groaning. "Morning mate." Hugo's best fiend Kelvin said with a cheerful tone. Hugo look up from the floor "Are you enjoying this?" he asked suspiciously and tried to pick himself up.

"Rather much, yes." Kelvin said and laughed as Hugo fell again.

"You suck in the morning."

Hugo groaned again and closed his eyes. "Let me sleeeep." He wined and curled up in a ball, laying his head on his arms.

"Your funeral. We've got transfiguration in twenty minutes."

Hugo looked up at him in shock and saw to his unsettling he was already in his robes. "Why didn't you wake me up" He said in panic.

"I did, six times." Kelvin said. "I even ate already, came back to get my books and guess what I saw? Lazy pants in dream land."

"That doesn't even rime properly." Hugo said, jumping up and hurriedly changing into his robes, something being slowed down considerable because he was trying to get his head through one of his sleeves.

"Stop being such a meany head, I might just go to transfiguration without you and let you be late."

"No! Last time professor O' Flaherty gave me a week's worth of detentions for failing to show up on time! I had to clean the bathrooms!" Hugo said, jumping around the room, trying to get left his shoe on his right foot.

"Wrong shoe Hugo."

"Look, this is why I need you." Hugo said, switching shoes.

"Hugo, I wish you told me sooner, but I'm with Rica now." Kelvin said with a remorseful tone.

Hugo threw a book at him. "Really wouldn't have guessed." He said sarcastically, tying his tie. Kelvin was sitting on his bed in relaxation, looking at Hugo's rushed state in amusement.

Hugo's stomach rumbled and Hugo looked down at it. "Please, please let there still be food!" Hugo pleaded to himself.

"Wouldn't count on it. James and Fred have already eaten." Kelvin said, leading the way downstairs.

Kelvin turned out to be right. Somehow, All the food at the Gryffindor table had been eaten, everything!

"What am I going to do?" Hugo groaned, looking at the empty plates with a defeated expression. Kelvin, being the great help he always was, shrugged non committedly and suggested no breakfast. Hugo looked at him in horror. "Do you want me to be underfed? To faint in the middle of class?" He asked horrified.

"Ah, remember that time you fainted during potions and fell in your own cauldron. You were so lucky you hadn't even started yet." Kelvin laughed.

"Don't remind me. Professor Slebbins still gives me the evil eye for that."

"No, that is because you always mess every potion up, except the ones she grades." Kelvin said smirking. Hugo shook his head in denial. "I do not do that on purpose."

"Hugo?" A sweet voice said from behind him. Hugo turned around, and looked down at his sister who was holding out a plate for him.

"Apparently, you need to eat much when your all brawny, and no brainy." She said, nodding toward the Griffindor table, a little shyly. Hugo was looking at the plate in hunger. Toast with scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese. He loved bacon… and eggs… and cheese.

"We're brainy too, lil sis. Just you wait." Hugo said lunching at the plate and taking it from her.

"Not if you don't make it to our next class in time." She shoved him gently toward the door. "Go. You too… Kevin?"

"Kelvin." Kelvin corrected.

"Oh, right… Sorry. Bye." Rose said and Hugo and Kelvin went off to Transfiguration, Hugo gobbling as much food as he could on his way there, chewing occasionally.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Rose gave Missy a wicked grin. "Oh no. You are not getting off that easily." She said and drew her wand threateningly. Missy swallowed and backed off a bit. "I only said I was going to class?" She half asked.

Rose pointed her finger accusingly. "Exactly! Guilt confessed."

"Wha- But Rose, class starts in five minutes." Missy said confused.

"Eat!" Rose said, grabbing a piece of toast and jumping at Missy, who was cringing away from Rose. After a short struggle, Rose was holding Missy in a kind of headlock, dangling the toast before her mouth and pinching her nose closed.

"You didn't eat yesterday morning either." Rose said, waiting for Missy to gasp for breath. Missy was looking away stubbornly, turning slightly red.

She finally gasped for breath and Rose forced the bread in her mouth.

"Rose!" She screamed.

"Now chew!" Missy started chewing, defeated under Rose heavy surveillance.

"We're late, I didn't have time to eat." Missy said once her mouth was empty once more. Rose looked and saw they had a minute left.

"Charm's a one minute run from here…" She started, looking at Missy. Missy looked back.

"Run!"

Rose followed her, her robes flurrying behind her and her backpack slung one shoulder, laughing happily, Hoping she would be on time.

If anyone would have seen her run, they would have thought she didn't have a care in the world, running head first into a bright future.

No one would guess that she had lost her father,

and never got the time to mourn.

And yet…

~~~~.~~~~

_**Sorry for killing him off! I hate myself right now.. -.-. I'm a really big fan of Ron… but he needed to pass on for my story. And I know I sound a bit dramatic about it being such a big deal that there was no longer a trace of sadness in her over her father. Well, I just wanted to bring the news on such a note, you know, Rose being all happy, then making you realising she had a traumatising event in the past. Yea.. I hope it came over okay…**_

_**If not, tell me! If it did, tell me too. Really, I really, really want feedback. Whether good or bad. **_

_**So… Review.. or pm… or … well… review to tell me what you think. **_

_**I hope you enjoyed it.**_


	3. Frozen thoughts

_I advice reading the last chapter again. It's been a while since I updated... Sorry for that by the way. _

~~.~~

Please" Rose added, seeing the doubtful expression on Al's face.

It was the first day of the weekend and Al was sitting in the library, wrestling through the first wave of homework.

"I don't know Rose. Bella comes tomorrow and I wanted to hang out with her." Al said, looking up from his book.

"Al, you can't miss a party only because Bella decided she wanted an extra week vacation." Rose whined, looking at him with a pleading expression.

"That is not at all the case, Rose. You know that." Al said irritated.

"I know, Al. Sorry, that came out wrong."

Al grunted and looked back down at his book, trying to concentrate on the explanation of how to charm a room to clean itself.

"You can just bring Bella. She's my friend too, and Missy won't mind." Al looked back up. Rose was giving him an almost begging look. He hesitated. He did like parties. "I don't know if Bella would want to…"

"Come off it, Al. Bella loves parties, and I'm sure she would love to come."

"Okay." He grudgingly gave in. "But only if Bella wants to come. Else we have no deal."

Rose nodded, a big grin sipping over her lips. "I'll be going then, I won't keep you from your charms homework any longer." She said and disappeared behind the bookshelves to the exit.

Al sat there, trying to concentrate on the texts but found it impossible. His mind kept driting away from it and to Bella. She was his best friend, and had been since their first year. He hadn't seen her all summer. She had been away and out of contact and he missed her like crazy.  
One more day and she would come back to Hogwarts.

~~~~O.0~~~~

A cold wind swept through the open window into the abandoned classroom, early Saturday afternoon. A few papers flew up from a desk and flew around the classroom, before landing before the door and being crumpled when it was opened.

Dom stumbled in, followed in tow by Freddy, James and Michael Thomas, all trying to hold in their laugh.

"That," Freddy said, pointing over his shoulder, "Was bloody brilliant!" He as gasping for breath and sat down on one of the abandoned desks.  
Michael closed the door behind them and nodded. "Who knew Filtch could run like that?" He asked, whipping a tear of laughter out of his eye.

"I did." James said with a self-satisfied smirk. "He ran even faster when I stole a picture of some ugly cat. The man just got something for pictures"

Dom finally cracked at the memory of James running all over the grounds in the middle of a storm, with Filtch following him with astounding speed. She laughed until tears appeared in her eyes and her stomach hurt.

"When do you think he will be let down?" Freddy asked, leaning casually against the door.

Dom thought back to the look on Filtch face as he was lifted up into the air on a small platform with no way off it.

James grinned and put the picture of the froglike woman they had stolen from Filtch behind his tie, which he had tied around his head as a war band.

"As long as we want, my dear friends, as long as we want."  
Dom, still unable to talk, doubled over, gasping for breath and trying to stop laughing.

"You mean we can let him stay there all night?" Michael asked with a glint of menace in his eyes.

James nodded.

"And he can't do shit about it. The guy's a squib."

"And I doubt he can swim." Freddy finished for him.

"How long are we going to leave him there, then?" Michael asked, looking from James to Fred.

Dom looked at James expectantly. It had been his prank.

James inspected his short nails thoughtfully. "not any time soon."

Dom sat on a desk and crossed her legs. Their first prank this school year and it had gone exactly according to plan.

"What about we let him down after dinner? That should be long enough for everyone to see him." James suggested.

Dom nodded and stretched out. "What if one of the teachers get him down?" She asked, finally having stopped laughing.

"Fat chance. That would take effort. Who would put effort into helping Filtch?" James asked with a shudder. "But if they do, we are dead, aren't we?" Dom pressed.

James shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, but we knew that already."

A silence came over them. Freddy was watching James together with Michael. James was gazing at Dom, and Dom was looking out of the window, it unfortunately didn't show the black lake.

James was the one to break the silence. He coughed. "I need to go. I have some business to attend to."

"Dubious business, I presume?" Freddy said. Dom didn't turn to them but continued watch the students outside.

"When is my business not dubious? Now, if you would excuse me, Al awaits me."

"The poor boy." Dom mused.

"You hurt me with your presumption, dear lady." James said. Dom turned to him and saw James was clutching his chest in mock hurt. She let out a short laugh. "Why are you talking like that?"

"It sounds sophisticated." He said smugly.

"I bet you can't spell sophisticated." Freddy mocked, moving away from the door so James could leave.

James stuck his nose into the air in high-heartiness. "I can, I choose not to show off." And left the room, leaving the rest laugh at his lame excuse.  
"The idiot." Dom said fondly.

Freddy sat down next to her. "Well, a little idiotic birdy told us-"

"That you have a new boyfriend." Michael sat down on the other side of Dom, trapping her. Dom felt her cheeks redden and puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "James told you."

"Of course he did." Freddy said.

"and you will have to tell us everything so we can tell Roxanne." Michael said, looking at her with eyes that could have been from a puppy.

"Why?" Dom asked testily, unsure of they were doing this for James or not.

"Else she will kill us." Freddy said dead serious. "We are her main gossip suppliers, because she threatens us into getting it."

"Please, don't let her kill us." Michael grabbed her arm and his eyes became even more pleading.

"Okay." Dom said and raised her finger when Freddy and Michael gave each other a victorious look. "On one condition."

Their face fell. "Fine, what is it." Freddy asked.

"Please, keep James off my back about it.

Freddy and Michael exchanged a look that puzzled Dom, but then again, Freddy and Michael puzzled Dom all the time.

"We'll try."

That day, Filtch experienced first handed how it was to be locked on a small platform, hovering above the black lake in the hot sun with no way off it. It wasn't until sundown that four laughing figures appeared on the little shore of the lake and let him down, leaving before he had a change to see their faces.

~~~~O.0~~~~

It had been surprisingly easy to convince Al to go to the party. He must have finally found it in himself to appreciate parties. Rose was half running through the corridors, smiling at her little victory and hurrying to Missy to tell her about the extra person that was going to be at the party. She first had to find Missy. She was either in the common room, or already at supper.

Rose was sunken so deep in thought, and in her gloating, that she wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings.

Rose walked head first into something and fell back with more force than she would have liked. Startled, she looked up. The something had been a year older Ravenclaw boy, who was helpfully extending a hand to her. Ike Fenell.

"Sorry." He said as she took his hand. He pulled her up and Rose got a good look at his eyes. A deep brown, almost black that set off against his sandy blonde hair. "Thank you." Rose said, dusting her uniform off. He smiled and Rose was a little dazzled by his charming smile and white teeth.

"No problem, Rose." Rose couldn't help but smile back at him, she and Ike were kind of friends. Acquaintances fitted better. They had studied together last year, and were friendly.

She realised she hadn't thought about him in weeks and looked him up and down. Mostly up. He had always been taller than her, but now he really towered over her.

"Charms?" Rose asked, as she saw the book in his hands, beginning a conversation. Ike nodded, holding the book up. "Healing spells." He said.

"Nastily exhausting tests sound about right if I read this book." Rose groaned. "You mean it's going to get worse?" She asked in feigned horror.

"Much, much worse." Ike said in a spooky voice. Rose giggled.

"I find that hard to believe."

A few entertaining minutes later, Rose arrived at the great hall with Ike, who was doing an imitation of what was supposed to be professor Flithwick and looked like someone with a real problem of struggling against gravity.

"I will leave you here, milady. I hope you have forgiven me for my ungraceful act of earlier." Ike said, transforming his awful imitation into a graceful bow.

"I have. Farewell, milord. May the love of the people be with you." Rose said, winking and turning to the Slytherin table.  
Like the universe was sending Rose a helping hand, Missy and Scarlet were both there already, without the usual annoying ducklings surrounding Missy. Rose plumped down next to Missy and helped herself to some toast.

"Mission accomplished." She said victoriously to Missy, flashing a self-satisfied smirk.

~~~~O.0~~~~

It was Sunday morning and Al was rubbing the sleep out of him eyes as the mail arrived. Lily and a grumpy Hugo sat next to him, peacefully eating their breakfast in complete silence.

Al hadn't touched his food yet and was watching the door in concentration.

"Al, Bella will come just as fast if you eat." Lily said, rolling her eyes when she saw his plate.

Al shook his head. "You don't know that." He said absentmindedly. The door opened and Al's face lit up, only to fall again when a small Hufflepuff entered the great hall.

"That makes no sense what so ever." Lily said, and turned back to her breakfast. Al hmm-ed as answer.  
He was sure that Bella would come in any moment. An owl scratched by his ear and Al waved it away, irritated.

The owl screeched again and to Al's relief started to pester Hugo, who looked at the bird moodily, his morning temper in place.

The doors opened again and this time a little group of first year came in, chatting animatedly. Al watched them take place at the Griffindor table in disappointment.

"Mum wants to know how the family is." Hugo said. Al looked at him and saw he was reading a long letter.

"We're good." Lily said, reaching for some scrambled eggs. "What else does she say? Is she reciting the ministers speech to you?" She asked, looking at the length of the parchment.

"Nah." Hugo said, still reading. "Just asking how school is going and telling me not to put a toe out of line. The usual."  
Lily snorted. "Well, it is like aunt Hermione to reprimand you for something before you have even done it." Hugo nodded.

Al looked away from them when the sound of the doors opening again reached his ears. Finally the blond he had been waiting for the entire morning came in. Al grinned from ear to ear and waved over to her. Bella's grey eyes found him and she smiled back at him, hurrying towards him, tripping over her own feet three times in the process.

Al stood up and hugged her tightly when she reached him. "Bella!" he said in delight, letting go of her and pushing Lily further up the bank to make place for her.

"How are you?"

Bella grinned and sat down next to him, almost tripping over the bank. "Good, and you Al? god, you became even taller over the holidays!"  
Al ruffled his hair up. "I did? Well, I can't help it, it grows with my awesomeness."

"sure it does, Al." Lily said sarcastically, irritated she had been shoved down the bench so unceremoniously.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night." Hugo added, still looking at the letter from Hermione.

"Lily! Hugo! So good to see you again! Lily, you've changed so much, I didn't recognise you for a moment." Bella exclaimed, hugging Lily. Lily's irritation immediately vanished and a delightful smile spread across her face. "Really?" She asked happily.

Al rolled his eyes, having heard this conversation before. Lily had changed a lot over the summer and she couldn't get enough of hearing it.

"Yes! You look so much like Rose." Bella said, looking a beaming Lily up and down. "Just not the eyes and your hair is different… and you are still taller right?"

Lilly laughed and nodded, swinging her hair over her shoulder. "I didn't shrink no."

Al noticed Hugo rolling his eyes in exasperation and realised he must have heard this conversation many times before too.

"She does look like she could be Rose's lost sister, but can she stop being so smug about it?" Hugo said to Al under her breath, while Lily began interrogating Bella about her summer.

Al shrugged. "I just want to know how they look so much alike, it's really freaky."

"Rose got all her looks from dad's side of the family. He might not have been much of a looker, but your mum was. I saw a picture of her in her Hogwarts years once. Rose takes after her, like Lily." Hugo said and took a swig of his pumpkin juice.

"Oh." Al said blankly. He hadn't really expected someone to have an answer, but well, that was Hugo. He always surprised you at the oddest moments with his smartness.

Hugo busied himself with his breakfast, leaving Al to turn back to Bella and Lily. He groaned inwardly.

Lily was hanging onto every word Bella was saying, while Bella was describing the small island she had visited and explored in her vacation with a big smile on her face.

"It sounds so lovely." Lily sighed, a dreamy look on her face that was uncannily similar to the permanent expression stuck on Luna Scamander's face.

"Had any trouble?" Al cut in with a meaningful look.

"No, everything went okay. No problems." Bella said smiling. Al nodded satisfied.

He was well aware of the danger Bella was in, every time she left Hogwarts. He examined her, but saw no bags under her big, grey eyes. Her sun kissed skin was as spotless as ever and her curling blond hair was perfectly swung over one shoulder. Nothing about her told you of the stress she endured every day.

Bella shifted and leaned a bit closer to Al.

"Did your father find something yet?" She whispered. Al looked over to his sister, who was pouting, obviously not able to hear what Bella said.

Al shook his head. "Nothing yet."

His father, head of the Auror department, was responsible for all the on-going researches, but he was working on one personally. The investigation on a rouge wizard gang had been going on for three year, and personally lead by Harry for two years. A rouge wizard gang, targeting certain high positioned wizard families, under whom Bella's family.

"Too bad." Bella sighed sadly. Her hands wrung together nervously, the only thing betraying her worried state.

"Your parents are home, right?" Al asked, covering her hands with one of his own. Bella looked at his hand for a moment, then nodded.

"Well, they have never been able to come there, so no worries." Al squeezed her hand.

"What are you two whispering about?" Hugo asked suddenly. Al turned around with a start, his eyes wide.

"Nothing Hugo." Al said, his voice sounding strangely high to his own ears.

Hugo looked at him his eyebrow up, and shrugged, probably deciding his morning was better spent sulking over the fact that he wasn't sleeping that intarrogating Al. How Al loved his cousins priorities.

"On a lighter note, what are we doing today?" Bella asked, elbowing Al painfully in the ribs for his awful reaction. Al scowled a moment, rubbing his ribs(he had forgotten her strength) before grinning proudly.

"Guess where I got us invited too."

"The library's annual welcome back party." Bella said, winking.

Al's face slid back into the scowl. The worst thing was he had been invited to that, and Bella knew it.

"Shut up or we are going to that." Al threatened. Bella held up her hand, laughing. "Okay, okay. Where are we invited to?"

"A party!" Al said proudly, grinning widely.

"If i recall correctly, that library thingy is indeed a party." Bella teased.

"You know what I mean. A real party." Al said. "A fun one."

"A party?" Lily asked. "Why didn't I hear of this party?" Lily was usually the one going out and partying at night, while Al was more of a hanging out kind of person. Parties were fun, but just hanging out with friends was too, and from that he didn't get a pounding headache the next day.

"It's a" He eyes Bella for a moment. "Slytherin party."

An amused smile appeared on Bella's face. "Rose?" She asked.

Blood rushed to Al's cheeks. "She was begging." He said.

"And here I thought you made some new friends outside of your family." Bella sighed, a smile tugging at her full lips.

"I'm friends with Ralf and Scorpius too." Al muttered, but someone else took Bella's attention away with a dramatic flourish of her hands.

"You would think Rose would invite me too." Lily sulked. Lily was a little dramaqueen, always living in her own little world. Sometimes Al wondered how he and Lily could be family.

"I'm sure she would, maybe it isn't her party?" Bella comforted, stroking Lily's hair. Lily shrugged. "And here I thought Rose and I got really close this summer." She said dramatically, looking at her hands.

Al couldn't bear to look at it anymore. He turned away and was face to face with the still grumpy Hugo.

Great. Choosing between death by murder and death by irritation. Al just loved his life.

He choose the safe option and silently ate his breakfast, trying to become invisible.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Scorpius sauntered through the corridors of Hogwarts, making his way slowly to the owlery.

He promised he would write his mother once a week, so he did dutifully.

He put his hands deep in pockets and looked around. The castle was as silent as the grave. Scorpius supposed breakfast was still going on.  
His thoughts drifted away to the still grounds outside the castle walls. He wondered when Quidditch tryouts were. Usually somewhere between second and third week, but he had heard nothing of it yet. Scorpius had been chaser for the Slytherin team since third year, together with his cousin Cyrill and loved the thrill of playing. The rush of adrenaline was something more addictive than anything else in his life.

After a steep climb up to the owlery, Scorpius was surprised to see he wasn't alone.

The auburn mob of hair was hard to miss through the fluttering wings and screeching becks of owls, and Scorpius stood still for a moment, silently regarding the frowning Hugo Weasley.

He proceeded by silently trying to back away.

Hogwarts wasn't a very big school, and at one point or another you were confronted with certain patterns of other students. One pattern every student in the school knew, and had to know if they didn't want their heads to be bitten off, was the pattern of the morning grumpiness of Hugo Weasley. A grumpiness so big, it couldn't be defined as a mere morning temper anymore.

And he was exaggerating again. Why in the name of Merlin did he exaggerate against himself?

Hugo's head shot around when Scorpius' foot scraped against the floor, making the slightest tinge of a sound.

"Oh, hi Malfoy." Hugo said, sounding tired, and turned away again.

Scorpius decided it was safe enough for him to sent his letter. Hugo didn't seem in the mood to bit his head off.

He swallowed and stepped forward, looking for his own owl. It was always a challenge for him to find the tinny thing between the other, bigger owls.

He finally spotted her, sitting dignified on a high ridge with her head under her wing. He sometimes wondered how she always looked more dignified that Scorpius had felt in his entire life.

"Hysinthya." Scorpius called softly.

The tiny barn owl -so tiny that Scorpius was convinced it wasn't a barn owl, no matter what the shop owner had told him- looked out from under his wing and hooted loudly. Scorpius tensed and glanced over his shoulder at Weasley, and sure enough. He was glaring at Hysinthya. Thanks god he was only glaring.

"Come here, girl." Scorpius called quietly, holding out the small parchment.

Hopping down onto his shoulder, Hysinthya painfully dug one claw into his shoulder and held the other out.  
As Scorpius tied the parchment to her freakishly small paw, he wondered if she had a morning temper too.

Maybe Scorpius was just the only person in the world not to have a morning temper?

He sighed and watched his owl fly off with another loud hoot.

When he turned around, he saw that Hugo was still there, watching Scorpius quietly.

"What is it, Weasley?" Scorpius asked.

Hugo blinked, clearly not used to being called Weasley. Most people called anyone from the Weasley family by their first name, because so many shared the surname. Scorpius had never picked up on this unspoken agreement though. He only called people by their given names that he knew well by their given names.

"I wondered..." He said, holding something out. Scorpius looked curiously to what he was holding out and saw two letters.

"Since I ran into you, could you give this to Rose?"

Scorpius nodded and took two pages of parchment from him warily, wondering why he would ask him that. Rose and he weren't known to get along great.

Hugo struggled to smile, but it turned out more as a grimace. He mumbled a quick thanks and hurried off. Scorpius looked at the pages in his hand and felt curiosity well up in him.

~~~~O.0~~~~

"I am off." Missy half sang, jumping up from her bed. Rose looked over to her and nodded. "Have fun." She said, closing her eyes.

"Aren't you going to ask where I am going?"

"Is it out of this room?"

"Yes."

"Than no." Rose turned on her side and yawned, nuzzling deep into her comfortable pillow.

Scarlet had woken her this morning, and fled a few minutes after. Rose was wondering if Scarlet had any suicide tendencies. Waking her up, that was just plain dangerous.

Missy had taken it upon herself to make it impossible for Rose to get back to sleep after that, constantly chatting about her party that evening. Why she did it on a Sunday night was a complete mystery to Rose. Probably because she herself had the first two periods on Monday free. Missy was a tad egocentric.

Missy was absolute in the seventh heaven. She had the whole day planned out with planning and organizing the party in absolute secrecy. For some crazy reason, it was the thing Missy liked to do best.

"Than I won't tell you." Missy said offended, then giggled.

That one giggle was enough for Rose to know what she was going to do.

"Have fun boy-hunting." Rose called when she heard the door open.

Missy chuckled and quietly closed the door, leaving Rose to falling asleep peacefully.

~~~~O.0~~~~

James met up with Al in an abandoned classroom somewhere around noon.

"Did anyone follow you?" He asked while Al quietly closed the door.

"No. I'm not stupid, you know." Al turned around and faced James, who was casually lounging on the teachers desk.

"I will be the judge of that." James sat up and smirked, thinking back at all the times he had gotten Al for one thing or another. Al scowled at him in return.

"Let's get back to the reason why we are here." Al said.

James chuckled and nodded. "Of course, dear brother." He pulled his wand out of his sleeve and pointed it at the blackboard.  
_Terrince Noutosh._ Appeared on the board in big, scrawny letters.

"James, is all of this really necessary?" Al groaned.

James kept his face neutral as he raised an eyebrow. Of course it wasn't necessary, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to do it. He had this perfect opportunity to make Al do all kind of things for him, including finding an empty classroom to discuss the prank in. It might be the only chance he would ever get. He wasn't going to pass up on it.

"It is the teacher who asks the questions, humble apprentice. Now fetch my water."

Al scowled and fetched James some water, obviously debating whether he should spit in the cup or not.

James quickly took the cup before he could and took a tiny sip.

"The first thing we need to go is find out what freaks him out." James said, pointing at the blackboard again.

"Than we use this weakness against him. We can, of course, also use a standard park, but then the effect will be lessened and the outcome won't be as brilliantly brilliant as now."

Al looked at the board where fazes appeared one after the other. His eyes gleamed as he studied them.

"So this is your secret?" He asked quietly. James nodded, and rubbed his back in embarrassment.

He was glad Al actually admired his fifteen steps to the perfect prank. It had cost him a lot of effort to make it waterproof, and it was his evidence that if he set his mind to something, he could do it. It was also the reason he didn't care if his friends teased him for not being smart. James knew he could have been smarter, but he wasn't stupid, this proved that.. He just didn't care for school.

"It's nothing, really. Just a little thing to help me start. The thing that makes a prank great though, is the amount of imagination and care you put in them."

Al shook his head slowly and smiled. "And here I thought you were just always winging it."

"Now you know better. Copy this. make sure no one finds it though, this is one of my most treasured pieces of knowledge , be happy I share it with you.. Next time we meet I expect you have found out his weakness."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Al asked.

James raised an eyebrow. "By talking to him of course. Or to his friends. Maybe, if you are subtle, you can even ask Lily about it."

James was certain this prank was going to be good for Al.

It was far better than a few years ago, but James knew Al was still quiet and subdued. Especially around people he didn't know, Al became very uncertain and nervous.

A few years ago though, James rarely saw Al without his nose stuck in some book, and Al rarely talked to people outside his family.  
James guessed it had something to do with the constant attention from the media they had grown up with. As sons of 'The boy who lived (twice)', Al and James had grown up under a watchful eye. Everything they did, every little slip up and accomplishment had come (and still came) in the gossip magazines and papers.

It had changed them both in different ways.

James had watched Al getting quieter and shyer with every passing year. His efforts to keep Al like he had been as a kid, a pleasant, joking boy who was always smiling, had not helped at all. It hurt James to think about how Al could have been, if wizards had some common sense and leave them alone.

When Al got quieter though, James became more jubilant with the passing years.

He pranked, shouted and screamed. He did about anything to get attention, and he knew it.

He did it to keep the focus away from Lily and Al. Mostly from Al. The last thing Al needed was more people gaping at him, making him more uncomfortable and timid.

If protecting his little brother meant making people think he was an attention seeking arsehole by heart, it was a price James was more than willing to pay. Let them all, including Al, think he just loved attention. It didn't matter to James. He knew why he did things. He knew who he was and where he stood in life. If a few people didn't like him because of it, because he was protecting his family from things they shouldn't have to be protected from, then fuck them. He didn't need them.

He just hoped that one day, Al would break through all the walls he had bevelloped over the years and be like the boy he once was again.

So James smirked and ruffled Al's already messy hair up. "And don't forget the Quidditch try-outs Wednesday."

He turned around and left.

~~~~O.0~~~~

Rose dragged was peacefully lounging on one of the couches in front of the common room fire, reading a thick book in serene silence. It wasn't often she had the entire common room to herself but she revelled in the peacefulness and quiet now she had it.  
She looked up from her book and streched, yawning into her hand.

"Still tired, Weasley?" An amused said from behind her.

Rose shot up and turned around in shock. She swore she had been alone only a few moments before.

Scorpius Malfoy was standing at the head of the couch with his arms crossed and his irritating smirk in place.

"Malfoy, what a nasty thing to do, scaring me with your face like that."

He raised an eyebrow and the smirk broadened. "Yes, I'm good. And how are you today?"

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked a little harsher than she meant. She didn't like being snuck up on.

"I was of the understanding this was a common room." Malfoy unfolded his arms and held out his hand. "For you."

Rose furrowed her brow and looked at his hand. He was holding two thick pieces of parchment.  
She tilted her head a bit and threw him a questioning look.

"Your brother asked me to give it to you."

"Hugo?" Rose asked confused.

"Do you have another brother?"

Rose perched her lips and snatched the pieces of parchment from him. She would have to talk to Hugo about not trusting anything to Malfoy. For all he knew, Malfoy could have kept it to himself.

"Don't worry. I didn't read them." Scorpius said, rubbing his neck.

Or he could have read the contents.

"Yes, that really sets my heart at peace." Rose said sarcastically, scanning the contents fleetingly. The first parchment was written full with the thing, scribbling handwriting of her brother and the second was a twelve inch length letter, scribbled full with the neat handwriting of her mother.

She looked up and narrowed her eyes. "You really didn't?" Rose said.

He shook his head. "I truly didn't. Wondered if I could now though, for all the trouble I went through."

"What if you don't read this letter, and I call it even?" Rose said.  
"Please, tell me how we are not even. If I recall I have been nothing but courteous to you."

He sat down on the other side of the couch and ignored Rose's snort.

"You remember when you dumped Scarlet like an old pair of socks?" Rose asked, putting her book away.

Scorpius nodded. Rose was satisfied to see he glanced away from her, and to see the momentary guilt in his eyes before he hid his emotions away from her behind a mask of indifference. She had brought it up so she could see once and for all what his feelings were about the events that happened so long ago.

Funny, how he obviously still remembered what she was talking about.

"What about it?"Scorpius asked stiffly. Rose could practically see the walls of defences forming around him, one layering the other.  
"I took my time, but I forgive you now." She said in mock comfort.

Scorpius remained silent for a moment, sunken in though, his mind drifting back to the the end of fourth year.

"I don't regret it." Scorpius said with a wink after a long silence.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't."

"I'll even prove it to you." Scorpius continued suggestively.

Rose stood up before he could move and grabbed her book. "Bye, Malfoy." She said, and fled upstairs. She closed the door behind her leaned against it, thinking back to it as well. Thinking back to a period of time she usually buried deep within herself.

She was lying by the black lake.

The sun was shining on her face and Rose was trying to sleep, feeling rather lightheaded and relaxed, like all the worried of the world had been dropped on her, only to be lifted again.

Only one problem was occupying her mind. Hugo had gone home to Hermione, but it was in the middle of the term. There were no holidays yet, so why had he gone home?

And why had she felt so incredibly tense before, as if expecting a storm? Was she afraid her mother and little brother would fight?

The longer she thought about it, the less likely it seemed. Hugo rarely fought, much less with Hermione. He loved her too much.

Two hands closed around her wrists and Someone flew over Rose, landing on her.

Rose didn't need to open her eyes to see who it was. Even if she hadn't recognized the hands clutched around her wrist, who else would do a handstand over her and land on her tights?

"Hi Malfoy." She murmured, keeping her eyes closed. The words sounded slurred to her own ears and her tongue felt awkward.

"Alright Rose?" Scorpius asked. She could hear the smirk, that she was sure was occupying his face at the moment, in his voice.

"Better before you decided to display your acrobatic skills by almost crushing me to death." She opened her eyes and looked into his grey ones. She was sort of glad his face was so close to hers, he blocked out the sun that was slowly starting to give her a headache. .

"Come off it, I did it perfectly." Scorpius said offended. He paused for a moment and looked at her intently. "Rose, why does your breath smell like fire-whiskey?"

"Because I use it as mouthwash." She said sarcastically. "Why do you think, Malfoy?" He let go of her wrists and placed both his hand on either sides of her face.

"It is twelve 'o clock." He said accusingly.  
"And a beautiful day it is." She agreed and closed her eyes again with a smile. Twelve 'o clock? Rose knew she had a good reason to drink so early, she just couldn't remember. Maybe she had thought a little drink would help her figure out why Hugo had left for home.

"It's freezing outside." Scorpius said dryly. Rose opened her eyes again and glared at him for a second, then saw that a lock of hair had fallen in his eye and she gently brushed it behind his ear. "That doesn't mean it can't be a beautiful day." She countered. It was a beautiful day. Or was that just the alcohol talking?

"Well, judging by the fact that you have been drinking before noon, I think it isn't a particular good day for you." Scorpius said. His cheeks were a tiny bit pink. "It isn't?" Rose asked, frowning. Scorpius looked at her with a strange expression.

She realized it was disbelieve. "Rose, how much have you been drinking?"

Rose smiled. "Enough."  
She had wanted to forget something. She was sure that had been her reason for drinking. Not for helping her think, for helping her forget. At least it had worked. "Enough to forget."

"How do you act so... so sober?" Scorpius asked with a smirk. She shrugged. "Do I? You figured out I was drunk in moments."

Drunk... She did not like that word. It sounded like someone drank her.

"I thought you just had one glass or something." Rose looked away from his face, away from that highly irritating smirk, and gazed at the forbidden forest. Spiders lived there. Her father had told her and Hugo once. But Hugo was home, with her mom.  
Without her father.

She groaned and moved underneath Scorpius' weight. "Look what you have done."She muttered, trying to wiggle out from beneath him.

"What?" His face full of confusion. "Did I hurt you?"  
"No, now I remember again." She said with a pout. He laughed briefly, probably at her expression.  
"What's wrong than?"

Rose's face turned serious and she looked away again. "My life." She said after a moment, then closed her eyes again, hoping she could sleep. She hadn't been sleeping well.

She felt a hand on her cheek. Scorpius tilted her head back so she was facing him. She didn't open her eyes yet, not wanting to look back into those grey eyes.

Sometimes, she had the feeling his eyes pierced through her, reading her like an open book. She didn't like that feeling.

"What do you mean?" She wasn't sure what was in his voice, but she swore it sounded at least a bit concerned. She opened her eyes for a third time and saw his eyes scrutinizing her. Her eyes locked with his and she saw him trying to read hers.

She shrugged and smiled. "Nothing. Just stating the facts, isn't that uncomfortable by the way?"

She nodded to the way he was sitting, his knees in the cold damp grass, baring most of his weight so she wouldn't have too much pressure on her. It was his time to shrug.

"Just a bit." Rose smiled and put her arms around his neck, pulling him to the right. caught off guard, he rolled onto his back, with Rose now on top of him.

"More comfortable?" She asked with a cheeky smile. Scorpius nodded meekly. He didn't seem quite sure of to know what to make out of this new, slightly drunk Rose.

"You gave Natasha quite a scare." He said after a long time of looking her in the eyes. Rose thought back to their fight and blushed a bit.

She did feel guilty. A little bit.

Maybe.

"Yeah. I'll apologize to her later. I feel bad for it. She's always so lovely.' She said in a cheerful voice. She leaned in a bit and whispered "Think she'll forgive me?" into his ear.

"What did you fight about?"

Rose laughed, feeling giddy. "Oh, just something silly. I don´t really remember, really."

He looked at her in a disbelieving stare. 'You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?' He asked, propping his arm behind his head.

"Nope." Rose said cheerfully. Something caught Rose's eyes. The sun was making his hair sparkle. His hair, normally almost white, shone golden in the sunlight. She put up her hand and touched his hair, careful not to block out the sun. It felt soft.

"Sparkly." She whispered, fascinated.

"Why are you out here in the first place?" Rose slightly pulled his hair before answering. "Actually, I was trying to sleep, maybe even not waking up and all." She let out another giggle and ruffled his hair. "Oh, don't look so sour, Malfoy. You're the one who asked." She said as she saw his scowl.

"Rose, what is the name of Merlin is wrong that you say such a thing?" He asked, a bit more forceful. Rose rolled her eyes at his tone. "Nothing Malfoy. You really can't take a joke, can you?"

Malfoy perched his lips and continued to look at her intently. She matched his gaze and again saw his concern. Her head swam again and she squeezed her eyes shut. "When I open them I don't want to look in the face of my concerned father anymore." She said, peeking through her lashes. She saw him roll his eyes and chose to ignore it.

"Is it gone?"

Opening her eyes she saw Scorpius looking away from his, unable to keep the concern out of his eyes. Rose put her hand against his cheek and, like he had done before, tilted his face back gently. Rose looked at him for a long time, or so it felt like to her, gazing from his slightly confused and concerned eyes, to his hair and to his mouth. She sighed.

"Oh, fuck it."

Scorpius his brow furrowed, then Rose leaned in and kissed him.

For a moment, he froze under her. She almost pulled away, realising she was, in fact, kissing Scorpius Malfoy.

She had only recently learned to appreaciate his presence.

Then he kissed her back, driving the thought away. Rose felt a spark travel down her spine and she pressed up against him. Scorpius's hands wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her closer still. Her thoughts clouded over, leaving her unable to think, just like she wanted. One of Rose's hands found its way into his hair and the other one around his neck. His big body pressed up against her felt hot and safe.

"Why?" He asked as they pulled away to gasp for breath. Her head was fuzzy and Rose couldn't think very clearly. "Would you feel bad if I said you're a good distraction?" Rose asked, searching his face. He smirked. "A great distraction." He corrected as he pulled her small frame back against him.

Rose shook her head, dismissing the memory.

It had been quite a surprise to Rose when Scarlet had come to her a few days later, crying her eyes out. She had told Rose how she and Malfoy had been dating in secret for a month, and that he had dumped her for no reason at all.

After that , they had coolisiondrifted apart again. Scorpius had gone back to being Malfoy, and the just beginning friendship had been ruined.

Rose took a deep breath and went to her bed. She sat down and began reading the two letters Hugo had given her, taking her mind off the blond.

~~~~O.0~~~~

"Hi cous, how's your day going?" Cyrill Lestrange asked, sitting down next to Scorpius and taking his book from him, obviously bursting with news.

Scorpius let the book go without a fight and shrugged. "Okay. Yours?"

Cyrill grinned and stretched. "Magnificent. Thanks for asking. Did Missy invite you to her little party too?"

"Naturally." Missy had cornered him this morning, just after breakfast.

"Ralf's been invited as well. He's been moping about how we take too long again with"

Scorpius looked around at the half full common room and glared at Cyrill, silencing him.

"He knows how stubborn the girl is as well as we do. We still have a year." Scorpius whispered.

"Yes, that is what I told him." Cyrill said and rolled his eyes when Scorpius shushed him.

"Oh, stop being so uptight, Scorpius. I just came by to tell you Ralf said we should show him how far we are tonight, as much to alert each other ant to, like he put it, 'speed up this fucking bet because he wants his fucking money'. I personally think he's broke because of that girlfriend of his."

Scorpius sat upright. "Tonight?" He asked.

Cyrill smirked. "Yeah. You did get somewhere with her, right?"

Scorpius scowled. "Of course. I have to go now."

Cyrill just laughed, satisfied he had the bet in his bag.

~~~~O.0~~~~

James was engrossed in his study book, something that didn't happen that often. He adn his cousin. Freddy, were sitting in a dark corner of the common room, conspiciously spitting through their study books, trying to find more prank material. It was their little ritual to do this the first weekend of every new school year.

His eyes widened, and he elbowed Freddy in the ribs.

"Read this." He laid the book on the table and pointed at a section about human trasfiguration.

"Wicked." Freddy said, reading fast. James nodded and waved at a pretty girl who was staring at him.

"We must learn this." James said decisively. "It is too awesome not to."

Freddy nodded, still reading. "It sounds dangerous."

James grinned. "Exactly." He said, grabbing the book back.

Freddy chuckled. "When do we start?"

James looked past Freddy and saw Al and Lily whispering in a corner of the room.

"We already did, my friend. We already did."

Freddy looked around as well and saw Al and Lily.

"Your brother and sister?" He asked uncertainly.

That was even one bridge too far for Freddy, much less for James. He had been thinking of Lily's new boyfriend, he and Al were going to ruin. Terrince something.

James shook his head. "Of course not, mum would kill me."

He stood up and smiled. "Now, if you excuse me, I have people to attend to."

A few minutes later, James was intertwined with the pretty girl at the other side of the common room, whispering something into her ear.  
It was so easy it was almost funny.

When the girl blushed and stood up, pulling him behind her out the portrait hole, he did laugh.

_Yeah... I hope you liked it. I myself don't think, well... that it's my best piece... but then again, I didn't manage to improve it. I really feel like everyone has the same characteristics. Well, you only get to know most of them shallowly, so maybe that's why? This was really hard to write. I'm not really used to write 'normal' sections of people's lives. _  
_Anyway, Tell me what you think. (give your opinion, advice, point out mistakes you read, criticise... anything)._  
_Oh and that Ike Fenell, I advice you to remember him. He kind of becomes important(Blond ravenclaw bloke Rose talked to in the beginning of the chapter). _


End file.
